Nobody's Fault
by Darkest Original
Summary: When something terrible takes place, part of the solution is to find someone to place the blame on. Alaric dies, it's Esther's fault. Elena dies, it's Rebekah's fault. When will people realize that blame does not rest on a just single person's shoulders? It rests on multiple shoulders of people who were involved, but sometimes accidents do happen and it really is nobody's fault.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I'm back! Sorry it took so long, but I wanted to have more of this story finished before I decided to upload chapters. **

**This story will have shorter chapters that usual but this means that I will update more often. I'm thinking that I will update about 3 times a week until this story is concluded. Sounds good?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or The Vampire Diaries; they both belong to their respective owners and creators. (This applies to the entire story!)**

**This pairing is new for me but I have read multiple Klaus/Bella stories and I really enjoy them so I thought that I would try writing one. This story starts out kinda slow as we introduce some relationships and themes but I promise that it will pick up speed eventually. Just bare with me. This chapter may seem a little dull but it is important to set the tone and on that note, enjoy!**

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Ch.1

It's April now. There is no longer a thin coating of snow covering the ground and the temperature is much higher than it was in the winter. We're lucky if we see the sun even once a week in Forks during the winter just like I'm lucky that I haven't seen my ex-boyfriend Edward Cullen in seven months. If I had seen him, there wouldn't be a force in the world that would keep me from giving him a good tongue lashing and then trying to light him on fire.

Edward left me in September, a few days after y eighteenth birthday. He gave me some stupid excuse as to why he was leaving. I wouldn't fit in his life, Carlisle didn't look his age anymore, I'm just human and a distraction. At first I was devastated that he left, I practically turned into a robot, only speaking and responding when asked too.

I was like that for three months and it gave Charlie, my dad, more than a few gray hairs in worry. He knew right from the beginning that Edward wasn't good for me and tried to get me to 'wake up' but couldn't. Truthfully I didn't even want to, not until one day I got up early to head to school and saw Charlie crying silently at the kitchen table. He didn't know that I saw him but at that moment I woke up. I realized exactly how selfish I was being and headed back up to my room to mentally berate myself. Everyone goes through a break up once in their lives but they are better than me, they don't turn into an emotionless robot.

I had scrubbed my face clean of all depressing feelings, determined not to let them effect me ever again. I changed into clean clothes and walked down stairs confident and had a normal breakfast with my dad where I said more words to him than I had in two months. To say he was shocked was an understatement. I don't think his eyes stopped bulging out of his head until he was halfway to the station for his shift.

I went to school and acted normal, well the normal Bella I was before the Cullen's got their cold claws into me. I was shocked to find that I kept up with my school work just as well as before my robot faze and secretly glad that I didn't need to worry about needing to bring my grades back up.

In biology that same December day Mr. Banner kept jumping at the slightest sound and was tapping his foot incisively against the linoleum floor. I watched him from the corner of my eye, trying and failing to figure out what was making him so nervous. I never did find out because that same night Charlie was called out to a crime scene. Mr. Banner had died, he was drained completely of blood and didn't even seem to have put up a fight against his attacker. He was found a few feet from his house but his house wasn't broken into.

The attack reminded me so much of the attacks that James, Laurent and Victoria did in the spring that I made Charlie promise to be safe and to run if he was in the kind of danger. Charlie had looked at me funny that day but promised anyway and had me start carrying another can of mace in my purse.

I started work at Newton's Outfitter's again and met a man named Elijah Smith who needed help finding school for the interview for the new teaching position that was open after Mr. Banner's death. I must admit that Elijah was handsome looking but was slightly too old for me. He came back the next day when Charlie had come into visit me to get some camping equipment. Charlie gave Elijah his perspective on each item and they hit it off immediately. The next thing I knew Elijah was over every night watching any and all sports games with Charlie. Elijah got the teaching position and started the first day back after Christmas break and life has been normal ever since.

Since it's April now, Charlie has been asking more and more about what I plan to do after school. Will I go to the University of Washington? What degree am I going in for? The questions make me nervous and it feels like the world is slowly collapsing in on me. I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I used to want to help people but after getting used by the Cullen's that route seems to be full of knives and traps. I kinda want to study ancient cultures but there isn't much work in that area. I'd need to double major in English and Ancient Cultures to be able to have a good income as a teacher.

I want to travel too, I want to see more than just the United States. I've never even left the country which is sad considering the amount of times I've been on a plane to go back and forth between my mom and dad.

I'm knocked out of my thoughts as Elijah comes into the house and takes a seat next to my dad. This is normal now, Charlie has told Elijah just to knock before walking in since we're all friends and our door is never locked. Charlie turns the volume of a basketball game up slightly more and I head back to working on my homework. I get through the homework quickly without getting tripped up too much before heading onto applications for multiple scholarships.

I want to apply for as many scholarships as I can so that Charlie will have to pay less money for my education. I think I've filled out maybe nine or ten scholarships since the beginning of the school year alone and I want to do more. I just finish off one of the questions when there is a commercial during the game.

"Bella?" Elijah asks me.

I lift my head and finish the word I'm writing without looking down. "Yes?"

He folds his hands together and places them on his knees. In the past four months since I've known Elijah I've found that he is very formal and old fashioned but it's not an act. It's almost like he grew up a few centuries ago and hasn't let go of that mannerism. "I know you've been asked this question a lot but answer me truthfully please. What would you like to do with your future?"

Charlie turns to look at me too and puts his half empty beer down on the coffee table.

I gulp under the pressure and flicker my eyes back and forth around the room. Trying to find an excuse but Charlie notices and clears his throat. I take a breath and decide to go for it, "I really want to study ancient cultures, I've always been fascinated with them but I don't know how to make a career out of it."

Elijah smiles slightly, or I think he smiles, it's really just a slight uplift of the corners of his mouth. "You could teach it at a University or become an archeologist finding old artifacts. Does that seem interesting?"


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks to those who reviewed and here is the next chapter to my new story. Hope you all enjoy!**

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Ch.2

I shrug my shoulders, not really sure. "I don't know, maybe? I'll have to think about it." I am quiet for a few moments and the men almost go back to their game when I speak up again, "I'd like to go on an exchange too. See how another town in America and maybe I'll figure out what I want to do there."

Charlie smiles at me encouragingly, "Sure Bells, that sounds fun."

I'm glad he agrees with me, I was worried that he may not let me go. It's probably because of the rising deaths that are happening in Seattle. I know Charlie is worried because he's a cop and knows more than the public do. It's starting to get so bad that he is worried about me going into Seattle on my own for shopping for books or clothes.

"Really?" I ask, excited that he seems fine with it.

Charlie nods again. Elijah adds, "Since it's fine with your dad, I'll grab the exchange papers tomorrow and give them to you during class."

I smile widely, so wide that I'm sure the edges of my lips my crack. "Thank you, thank you." I say again and again as I stand up, walk over to Charlie and hug him as hard as possible.

"I just want you happy Bella," he whispers in my ear.

"I am happy dad," I whisper back, "but this will hopefully help me figure out what I want to do."

I pull away from Charlie and gather my stuff into my arms to head up into my room. When I'm on the stairs though I hear Charlie say, "I'm glad that she won't be anywhere near Seattle soon, I have a feeling that these attacks will get worse. Did you hear they are already spreading into towns around Seattle? This is the perfect opportunity for Bella to get away."

Elijah is quiet for a moment before saying something that I can't quite hear. I didn't know the attacks was that bad, I guess the media doesn't want to worry the citizens without a large cause. I continue up the stairs and put all my books on my bed and reach to grab my cell phone from where it is charging on my nightstand.

I stop myself right before grabbing it though because I see my stereo lid is half open and inside is a CD that I haven't thought about in five months. I thought that it was shut this morning but maybe I'm remembering things wrong. Slowly and with a shaking hand I reach inside and pull the blank CD out. It may be blank but I know exactly what is on it and I never want to see it again, just like all the other gifts that they gave me.

I grip the CD tightly in one hand as I walk back down the stairs and into the spare room that holds extra cleaning products and some tools too. I grab a hammer before shutting the door and heading to the front door and walking onto the porch. There I set the CD down on the steps, bring the hammer up and slam it back down onto the CD again and again until it is just a broken plastic disk.

Charlie's voice brings me out of my trance, "Bella? Bella! What are you doing?" His worried eyes pierce mine as he kneels down next to me and gently pulls the hammer from my hand. Elijah is standing behind him, his arms folded behind his back, eyes watching me in concern.

My voice is steel, "I won't let them affect my life any more than they have. They don't get to control what I want anymore."

Charlie sighs in relief, he was obviously thinking that I was going back to my robotic state again. "That's good Bells. Good for you for realizing it, anything I can do to help?" He smiles reassuringly to show me that he's on my side.

God, I was so stupid to act like a child after Edward left. If only I had realized exactly how much Charlie is willing to help me and support me. I'm just glad I realized it now.

"You can help by tearing the new stereo out of my truck and shredding the plane tickets." I tell him and Charlie nods.

"Common Elijah, it's time us men get to destroy some stuff." Charlie says before walking to my truck, gently whacking the hammer on the palm of his hand threateningly.

Elijah nods me as he passes and begins to roll up the sleeves of his dress shirt as he goes to help Charlie. I doubt Elijah knows exactly what happened just now but I bet Charlie will explain it to him now while they pry the stereo Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie bought me for my birthday.

I head back into the house, just now noticing how cold I am from being outside in only a T-shirt and a pair of old jeans. I hurry upstairs and grab the afghan off my rocking chair and wrap myself in it. I reach to grab my cell again and this time, nothing stops me.

I dial Renee's number from memory and my eyes land on my closet this time. I think of all the clothes that Alice forced me to buy, all that can go to a homeless center or the Salvation Army. That's my job for later tonight, I'll take all the clothes that Alice ever got me and put them into a box. I'll put the box in my truck and after school I'll drop it off before heading to work.

"Bella?" Renee answers.

"Hey Mom, how are you doing?" I ask and lean back on my bed, getting ready for a long phone call.

"Honey, you wouldn't believe the new class I've started. It's all about seeing auras, understanding the different colors and how you could fix a troubled aura. How's yours Bella?" She rattles on and I chuckle.

"Fine Mom, just fine." I smirk to myself and listen to her continue for a half an hour before finally I am able to get off of the phone.

I grab a cardboard box and go through my closet, throwing out any piece that Alice ever bought me or anything that is too small for me now. Soon my closet is much less full and I can move some things from my dresser into it again. I close the lid of the cardboard box and lift the box up into my arms as I walk out of my room and head downstairs. I put the box on the table and grab a black Sharpie before writing in big block letters _Salvation Army_ on the box. I put the box near the door to remind myself of its presence before going upstairs and climbing into bed.

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**AN: Remember to review and I'll give you a sneak peak to the next chapter! Have a good day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I know that I am two days latter than I planned and their are reasons but I will don't want them to seem as excuses. I'll just say work and life got in the way too much. But since I'm posting this chapter a little late, I thought that I would also post the next chapter up tomorrow. **

**Hope you all enjoy Elijah's POV, I had fun writing this chapter.**

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Ch.3

**Elijah POV**

After helping Charlie tear out Bella's stereo from her old rusty truck, I said good bye and climbed into my vehicle and sped away back to my apartment. Inside I sit down and try to remember everything that I have known about Cold Ones. From what Charlie has told me about Bella's ex-boyfriend and his family, I am almost 97% sure that they are Cold Ones, that would explain the bite mark on her right wrist too.

But how is she still human then? When a Cold One bites a human, it instantly releases the venom it holds in its teeth into its prey, rendering the prey immobile from the pain. If the human isn't drained dry then the venom will run unhindered through the body and after three days, a new Cold One is made. But Bella isn't a Cold One, not even slightly. Her body temperature is normal, her skin is soft and pliable, and most importantly, her eyes are still brown and not from contacts.

Did she ever know that they weren't human? Or did she fall to their strong powers of persuasion like all the other humans? Charlie told me that their last name was Cullen. I can't remember ever physically meeting a member of the Cullen Coven but I have heard of some of their members.

Carlisle Cullen, the patriarch of the family and clan leader who likes to play doctor in every town they move too. He was changed before all of them and was the one that changed most of the other coven members, or as he calls them, family members.

There are four males in total but only three females in the coven. Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme Cullen are basically parents to the other members. Jasper Cullen is probably the most famous of the coven just for his vicious military skills and all the battles he has won. Jasper has a wife who can see the future but I can't remember her name or the other couple's names. The other male, Edward, doesn't have a mate and from what Charlie told me, he is the one that dated Bella for over six months and then broke up with her a few days after her birthday.

The only thing that I can't really explain for sure is the vampire activity last spring that Charlie thinks were wolves. Usually if a coven starts to cause problems in an area, they will either stay and cause more terror or move on. Since there haven't been any more attacks since the spring, I'm guessing they either left or the Cullen's dealt with them. But around that same time, Bella apparently fell down a flight of stairs and through a window, breaking her leg and losing lots of blood.

That sounds too much like a coincidence and I don't believe in coincidences. Since the Cullen's aren't here though, I can't compel the truth from them. I can't ask Bella about it because she doesn't know that I'm a vampire and I hope to keep it that way, that girl has dealt with too much supernatural for her age. Not only has she met and dated a Cold Ones, she is also best friends with a newly transformed shifter from the nearby reservation. I may be new to this town but that doesn't mean that I'm not watching and listening to what goes on.

This little town is almost like Mystic Falls except the supernatural only seems to happen to Bella. I get up from my spot on the couch and head to the window to look out at the town. My apartment is on the third floor of this small building but from here I can see most of the small town. I can see the school, the grocery store, the gas station and even the Swan's house from here. In the apartment below mine a father yells at his teenage son for trying to sneak in past curfew. It would be perfectly normal except the son is clearly drunk and doesn't seem to have a care in the world about what his father feels.

I may have only known Bella and her father for a little more than two months but in that time I have come to care and respect their little family. They may not be well off and may not say much to each other but you can tell that they love each other in the little things. Like Charlie checking Bella's trucks tires each night after she goes to bed and slipping a little extra cash in her wallet when she isn't looking. Or tonight when Charlie put the box of stuff Bella had set out for herself to remember in her truck for her.

Bella will go up and above her responsibilities by making Charlie fancy dinners, or as fancy as they can be in a household kitchen. She doesn't think I've noticed but I can tell when she will deliberately skip the recipes that are more fattening and go for the ones better for a human's health just for Charlie.

That is what a real family should be like, they should love each other unconditionally and be able to trust each other explicitly. I only wish that my family could've been like that, even when I was human, but we never were and never will. I'm sure I'll see my siblings every decade or so but I wouldn't be surprised if that is because one of us has a problem that needs the others to help.

The son in the apartment below storms into a room and slams the door while the father paces angrily for a time before going to his room too. It is very similar to my childhood and how Niklaus and my father would always fight, even over the smallest things. At that point in my life I was the second oldest behind Finn and we had to keep the rest of our siblings safe. When Niklaus and father would start fighting, it was my job to take Rebekah and Henry away from everything while Finn took Kol. I got Rebekah and Henry because they were less volatile and easily reassured while Kol could snap at any time and could start a fight. Finn was more able to handle that as he was the older brother and could easily calm almost any situation down.

I sigh, missing not so much my family but the feeling of protecting each other and having each other's back unconditionally. Not the back stabbing Niklaus has started and I fear will never end.

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**AN: Did you enjoy this chapter? Tell me in a review and I'll send you a sneak peak of tomorrow's chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: As promised, here is chapter four! I'm glad that you are all liking this story so far, especially since this is my first drabble story. **

**The next chapter will be posted on Wednesday. Enjoy!**

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Ch.4

**Bella POV **

The next morning my alarm doesn't go off and I end up waking up with only twenty minutes to get ready for school. I rush around the house, pulling on a random pair of jeans and socks while trying to brush my hair at the same time. I only stub my toe a few times thankfully as I run around upstairs. I grab my school bag from beside my desk and shove all the books I'll need in it as I start to head downstairs which is a bad idea. My socks slip on a step and my eyes widen as I go down hard, my head banging on a few steps before my body stops sliding down the stairs.

I groan and take a moment to stop and fight off the pain. I open my eyes and have to shake my head a few times to get rid of the dizziness. Slowly, I sit up but remembering my rush I carefully but quickly stand up, gather my books once again before grabbing my jacket and keys. I rush outside, being careful of the ice and climb into my truck before backing out quickly. Halfway to the school I remember the box of clothes that I want to get rid of that I forget but then something catches my eye. There on the floor of the passenger side is the Salvation Army box that I was going to get rid of. Charlie must have put it in my truck sometime last night or early this morning. I make a mental note to thank him when he gets off of work.

Usually I don't mind the slow speed that my truck goes at but this morning I almost pull my hair out in frustration. First bell rings at nine and right now it is 8:57 and I'm almost at the school. Somehow, I am able to park my truck in the school parking lot and rush to my first class all before the bell rings and the math teacher walks in.

I take my seat in the back of the classroom and I take my books out. I let out a sigh of relief, finally able to relax since I woke up this morning. First class drags by after my rushing this morning and as soon as I'm the next bell rings, I'm out the door and putting all my books back in my locker and taking out my biology stuff.

I walk into the biology lab and Elijah is sitting at his desk but looks up when I come in. "Bella," he says and motions me towards him. "I grabbed the exchange paper for you this morning," he explains as he shuffles through stacks of papers. "I swear I put them on my desk, and… there they are!" He grabs a small stack of papers and hands them to me which I put in my bag

"Thanks Mr. Smith," I say and turn around to go to my desk.

"Bella?" Mr. Smith asks and I turn back around.

"Yeah?"

"You have something on the back of your neck, is that blood?" I lift my head to the back of my neck and there is a damp liquid there and it seems to be coming down from the back of my head. I pull away my hand and my fingertips are red with blood. Immediately I switch to breathing through my mouth and raise my clean hand to the back of my head, feeling for any type of wound which I can bet that I got from falling on the stairs. My fingers brush against a long cut which causes me to wince in reflex.

Elijah is still looking at my bloody fingers and says, "Yes that is definitely blood. Turn around."

I turn around silently and am happy that most students hang out in the hallways until the bell rings. Elijah parts my hair and sucks in a breath when he sees the cut. "What happened Bella?"

"I was in a rush this morning and tripped on the stairs. I must've hit my head harder than I thought." I shrug to show it's not a big deal because it isn't, I've actually been lucky that I haven't gotten injured in the last few months.

Elijah lets my hair drop and I turn around to face him. "You should be more careful Bella."

I roll my eyes, "That's not really possible for me but I'll try. So do I need to go to the nurse or the hospital?"

Elijah grabs a pen and a piece of paper off of his desk, "The hospital, the cut may not be bleeding too much anymore but it is fairly deep and needs stitches. I'll give you a permission slip that you can show your other teachers when you get back." He finishes writing on the slip of paper and hands it to me. "Be careful while driving though Bella, if you get dizzy at all promise me you'll call your dad and have him pick you up."

His dark eyes bore into mine and I nod, you never know what could happen with head injuries so I'll be even more careful than usual. I walk back out of the school, secretly glad that I have someone there that cares for my wellbeing besides Angela. It may be weird that he's almost older and I'm friends with him but I'm fine with it. And no matter what people may think, I do not remotely have a crush on him.

The entire trip to the hospital, waiting to get some stitches, getting the stitches and driving back to the school takes almost two hours so lunch has already begun when I get back. The doctor warned me not to put my hair up in a high ponytail or to brush my hair too roughly or I may pull the stitches out. The rest of the day passes by quickly and thankfully no one asks me where I was in the morning.

When the final bell rings everyone rushes out of the classrooms while I take my time getting to my truck. I then drive down to the local Salvation Army drop off where I drop off the box before getting back in and driving to work.

Once at Newton's I change into my work shirt, clock in and head behind the counter with a pen and the exchange papers. I mechanically write out all my information before getting to the area of what I'd like to learn. I have to pause and think for a few minutes there. What do I want to get out of this experience? I know that I want to experience different things and see new places but what else?

It comes to me like a flashlight being turned on and I hurriedly write it down. I want to learn more about different communities' cultures' and how history shaped the town. I want to see if any towns still practice old traditions while bringing in new traditions and ideas. Then, I can hopefully use this new experience in my college education and maybe it will help direct me in to a certain career. It may seem like a fake answer but that is really what I want to do in my life.

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**AN: Tell me what you think in a review and I'll send you a sneak peak of chapter five!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Thanks for all of your reviews, I very much appreciate them! This chapter has sensitive material in it but I don't believe that it would be M rated so I'm leaving this story as T but I might change it later as I write more chapters. **

**Enjoy the chapter!**

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Ch. 5

After ringing up my final customer of the night I lock up the cash register before heading to the front door and turned the dead bolt. I go into the staff room and change back into my regular top and grab my bag with the finished exchange papers in it. I clock out quickly while pulling my truck keys from the outside pocket of my jacket.

"Night Mike!" I shout into the store front where he is sweeping up.

"Night Bella!" He calls back without looking up from his sweeping. I shut the door that separates the back of the store to the front of the store and walk down the hallway that leads to the back door. I can hear Mike talking to either someone wanting to buy something or himself from here but I keep going. There's always a strangler that is late getting to the store so we will have to send them away to deal with them in the morning.

I open the door and head over to my truck, thankful that it stopped raining earlier this evening. I open my door and hop in, placing my book bag on the seat next to me. I put the key in the ignition and start the truck, or tried to. The engine whines and sputters before turning off. I try to turn the truck on again but the same thing happens over and over again.

I groan and bang my head against the head rest only to wince when I remember my stitches. Today is just not my day at all. First I slept in, then I had to go to the hospital, then I had to deal with a disgruntled customer tonight and now _this_. I don't even have my cell phone with me to call Charlie because I forgot it in my rush this morning.

My shoulders slump in resignation as I grab my bag and head back into the store to beg Mike for a ride home. Usually I would try to walk the twenty minute walk home but it's just not worth it tonight. "Hey Mike? Look, my truck isn't starting tonight so I was wondering if you could maybe give me a ride home. I'd really appreciate it." I call out as I walk back down the hallway, looking for Mike. "Mike?"

I glance in the break room and then turn to try the front of the store when all of a sudden Mike is standing right in front of me. I jump back and give a little shriek of surprise before relaxing. "God, Mike, you scared me."

"Sorry," he says almost mechanically, "I'll give you a ride home Bella, it'll be no problem at all." He then waves me forward and I lead the way out to his truck. I walk over to the passenger side while he gets in the driver's side and starts his truck easily. Climbing in I notice how blank Mike's stare is, it's almost like he has walled off his feelings but that's never happened. Mike is always happy and talkative so it's strange that he hasn't started a conversation yet.

The ride to my house is silent, not even the stereo is on. About halfway to my house, on the desolate strip of road that I've always hated, Mike starts pulling over and stops the truck. "What are you doing Mike?" I turn and ask him.

Mike stares back at me with that blank stare and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Maybe I should've taken the walk because I don't feel that safe anymore. My right hand goes to the door handle and I grip it tightly, just holding it gives me a sense of strength. Mike leans in close to me, so close that I can see each individual eye lash. I try to lean back but can't go any farther than the door.

Mike suddenly grabs my face and kisses me hard. I sit frozen in shock for a moment before I try to pull away. I take my hand off the door handle to push him and try to pry his hands off to no use, he's too strong. I grab the door handle with both hands and push open my only means of escape. Mike grabs me by the shoulders and tugs my back into the car with him, shutting the door firmly. The sound of the door locks engaging shows me exactly how serious this is and I struggle to get away from him. Mike is on the football team though and is stronger than he looks. He easily turns me to face him, all the while dodging frantic fists and kicks from me.

"No! Get off of me! I don't want this!" I shout at him but he doesn't seem to hear me.

I guess he finally decides that enough is enough because he grabs both of my hands in one of his and lays me down on the truck bed. Tears rise to my eyes and I start saying, "No, no, no," over and over again. Mike lies down on top of me, the weight of his body keeping my legs pinned so I can't kick at him anymore. Mike then takes his free hand and cups my check and I scream as loud as I can. Mike stops it with his meaty hand before trying to kiss me again. I curl my lips in and don't react at all. That is, until he pries my jaw open and shoves his tongue in my mouth. I flinch and try to bite down hard on his invasive tongue only for him to pull away slightly.

"Nu uh," Mike taunts me with a wicked gleam in his eyes. He takes his free hand and trails it from my face down my body before stopping at the top of my jeans.

A sob escapes my lips and I shake my head from side to side. "No, I don't want this Mike. Charlie will kill you when he finds out."

"But he won't find out." Mike whispers in my ear before licking it and I flinch away in disgust.

"No!" I shout, Mike shifts his weight and it lets up on my legs just for a moment, a moment which I use to my advantage. I wedge my knee between us and knee him as hard as I can in the crotch. Mike groans and I quickly slip out from under him and unlock my door. Just as I go to open my door though, Mike grabs me by the head and turns me to look at him.

He smiles a menacing grin and slams my head against the dash board repeatedly. The last thing I see before darkness grabs me is a figure coming out of the forest.

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**AN: Cliffhanger! I know, I know but I had to do it. You will see more in the next chapter so tell me what you think of this chapter in a review. I'll send you a sneak peak of chapter 6!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Here's the much awaited chapter to the cliffhanger that I recently posted. I hope you all enjoy!**

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Ch.6

**Elijah POV**

I'm walking around the forest tonight just listening to the beautiful sounds of nature and the nice smell of a fresh rain fall. I came here for some peace and quiet to think about today. This morning when Bella walked into my classroom and I smelled her blood, it was all I could do to not completely freak out. She didn't look injured anywhere that I could see and she didn't seem emotionally distressed so that calmed me down a tad.

After I gave her the exchange papers though and I saw the blood on the back of her shirt collar I knew something had happened. With my vampire vision I could see her head wound even without parting her hair and it needed stitches.

I would've driven her to the hospital myself but I had a class to teach and Charlie was at work, probably trying to figure out who was doing the killings in Seattle. I saw Bella come back at lunch and was thankful that she didn't seem to be in any pain, but then again she could always hide her feelings well.

A sudden scream shakes me from my thoughts and I can tell its human. I make my way slowly to where it originated and can see a truck parked on the side of the road. A female voice shouts, "No," before a repetitive loud is heard. I recognize the voice and I blur to the passenger side door and practically rip it open.

The boy stops bashing Bella's head against the dash to look at me and then lets her unconscious body slump back in the seat. I bare my fangs at him and he fumbles with his door before practically falling through the open door.

I blur around to his side of the door, grab him by the throat and slam him against his truck hard. I slam his against the truck a few more times before dropping him to his unsteady feet and punching him as hard as I dare. His head snaps to the side but thankfully his neck doesn't break. I punch him in the gut a few times before grabbing him by the throat once again and squeezing, hearing him try desperately for the air he needs.

I snarl at him before compelling him, "Why are you doing this?" The Mike that I know in school never would've ever had the guts to try this let alone even think about it. He's too scared of Charlie to even think anything disrespectful about Bella, lots of boys are.

I relax my grip on his throat and he says in a monotone, "I'm supposed too."

My eyes narrow as I try to figure out exactly who would _compel_ this boy to do something like this. Bella may know about the supernatural but she isn't exactly a key player in anything. The only thing I can think of is that someone saw me and Bella together and they wanted to see how I would react to this. "Who told you to do this?"

"I don't know," Mike says and I barely suppress the urge to tear out his voice box.

"You will go home and forget all about this happening. You gave Bella a ride home tonight and then went home, you didn't force yourself on her and you never saw me." I compel him and he nods mechanically before getting back into his truck.

I blur around to the passenger side and slip Bella into my arms and grab her bag before slamming the car door shut. I carry Bella in my arms as I walk in the direction of her house and am about to blur away when a twig snapping catches my attention.

I turn and look in the direction of the forest and see Kol saunter out from between two tall trees. He smirks at me as he gets closer and asks, "Hello brother. Did you like my little surprise?"

My jaw almost drops open in shock but I quickly school my expressions into their usual blank mask. "Why would you do that Kol?"

"Why wouldn't I?" He asks and moves his dark, calculating eyes from me to look at Bella's form in my arms. "Why do you even care about her big brother? She's just a useless human girl."

"I care for all human life Kol, that's something you'd know if you would actually think with your brain."

Kol clenches his jaw and glares at me. "No, this is something more than just your duty to keep all human's safe." He says and rolls his eyes. "I've been watching you for a few days now Elijah and I've seen how you care for this girl. But it's not romantic or anything of the sort, it's how you would care of Rebekah and Henry when Niklaus and father would get into their spats."

I keep my face blank, not letting him see how right he is. "Really? And you know this from your vast amount of time actually caring about someone else and getting away from your own reflection?"

Kol smirks again, "I wanted to see how far you'd go to keep this one human girl safe. Bella's her name, right?"

Bella shifts in my arms and I can tell she is on the verge of waking. "Leave Kol, if you know what's good for you and don't try something like this again or you will regret it."

Kol blurs away into the forest just as Bella's eyes open. She looks confused for a moment before suddenly realizing what happened and she frantically looks around.

"He's gone Bella, don't worry." I say but Bella's eyes are still wide and scared. I don't want to compel her to forget about this but she will have to or it will just cause more problems. Thankfully Bella doesn't have any vervain on her but I will have to fix that.

"Bella," I call and Bella looks up at me with hope in her eyes. I look deep in her eyes and say, "You will forget about this night, Mike drove you home after your truck broke down and you never saw me. You won't remember this until I tell you to."

Bella's eyes glaze over as she nods robotically, "Now, go to sleep." I tell her and catch her body before it can fall to the ground. I lift her into my arms once again and blur towards her house where I open her creaky window and slip inside. Gently, I lay her down on her bed and pull one blanket up to cover her before slipping back out into the night.

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**AN: So some of you were right with who compelled Kol and who saved Bella. I know some of you expected Klaus to come into the story but he won't be physically in the story for a while yet. The rest of the story has to develop first and then we will see more characters.**

**Remember, if you review I'll send you a sneak peak of the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/alter/favorited my story ever since I posted the first chapter. All of you readers are being amazing and I can't thanks you enough for your kind words! **

**Enjoy this chapter and remember to review!**

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Ch. 7

**Bella POV**

I wake up the next morning feeling like my legs are being smothered. I sit up in my bed and glance down and am puzzled to see that I am still wearing my jeans. In fact I'm still wearing all the clothes that I wore yesterday. I try to remember exactly what I did after I came home but it's fuzzy and hard to focus on.

I sigh and shrug it off, it's only happened once but if it happens again, then I'll be worried.

I get out from my bed and grab some new clothes from my closet before heading into the bathroom. I strip quickly and do my usual morning routine while being careful of the stitches in my head. Once or twice I almost got them caught on my hair brush but stopped when I remembered them. I still need to tell Charlie about my little injury and soon or he'll get mad.

I get changed and then pack up my bag with all the things I'll need for the day before heading downstairs for breakfast. My eyes widen in surprise when I see Charlie sitting at the table, reading the papers while having some cereal. Usually Charlie has already gone to the station for his shift by the time that I'm up for school.

"Dad, why aren't you at work?" I ask as I sit in the chair across from him, dropping my bag at my feet.

Charlie folds the paper back up and places it on the table, "I have to head into Seattle today to talk to the head investigator about what to tell the town about the killings."

"Oh," I say and get up to make myself my breakfast, "So when are you leaving?"

Charlie looks at his watch, "Probably in ten or fifteen minutes."

I turn my back to him as I pour make my own cereal and grab a spoon before going back to the table. "I gotta tell you something dad."

Charlie looks at me and nods at me to continue. I might as well get it over with, "Yesterday I slept in and was in a rush to school when I fell down the stairs."

Charlie's eyes widen and he frantically looks me over. "What? Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"

I nod, turn around and part my hair to show him the stitches. "I didn't even notice I was bleeding until I was at school and then I went and got some stitches."

Charlie's chair scrapes against the floor as he stands up and walks behind me. "Jesus Bella, you have got to more careful." He turns me around and I drop my hair, "What if you had been knocked unconscious and stayed there all day until I came home?"

The hurt and pain in Charlie's eyes are clear to me and I bite my bottom lip. He is right about that and I quickly promise to be more careful. Charlie then leaves to go to Seattle while I finish my breakfast and catch a ride to school with Angela because my truck is still broken.

At school Mike tries to ask me out on another date, probably thinking he has a chance after driving me home but I can't shake the feeling that he is not the Mike I know. I ignore that feeling though and hand in my exchange papers to Elijah before catching a ride to my house from Angela. Charlie comes home late that night but doesn't tell me anything that happened. I guess it's part of his job to not tell some things but I think it's something more than that.

The next few days pass quickly and unfortunately I have to walk everywhere until my truck is fixed and I won't get it back until at least Saturday. After convincing Charlie though, he doesn't force me to ride in his cruiser as long as I promise to be safe and to catch a ride with a friend if I think I need it.

Anywhere in town I go though, I always see this handsome guy. At the grocery store, the bank, and even at Newton's too. He has wavy brown hair that stops just above his eyebrows and dark eyes piercing eyes that seem to always mocking the world. His English accent just makes him all the more handsome and the cleft chin he has reminds me strangely of Elijah. I've seen him in the grocery store a few times and he always gives me a little smirk when he sees me. Like he knows something that I don't and he's rubbing it in. He's come into Newton's Outfitter's a few times and bought a couple knives and camping equipment. He always starts conversations with me about each item or my life in Forks.

He's told me his name is Kol Mikaelson but hasn't said anything about what he is doing in town. In such a small town like Forks, everyone knows everyone's business and yet there has been no news about a new job being taken or anything that could hint about what he's doing in town. I've told him the things most people already know, like my parents' divorce and about my decision to live in Forks with my father.

In response he asked me if I really moved for my mother's sake or if I just wanted to live with someone a little more stable. I was dumbfounded and couldn't say anything in response partly because I was insulted and because I had never thought of it that way. Kol had then left after that, as if knowing I had something to think about. But what I was confused about was how a stranger knew how flighty my mother was. I never really told anyone about how flighty Renee was except for Angela and maybe Elijah but maybe the other townspeople remembered how Renee was before she left and told him.

Thankfully the next day is Friday and after getting my stitches taken out after school I walk to work. About halfway through my shift the rain just starts pouring and I groan when I think of my walk home. I would call Charlie but he is staying at the station later to get more work in before the weekend. By the time my shift ends though, the rain is just a light mist. I pull on my jacket and put my bag tight against my chest before zipping up my jacket. With an annoyed flick of my wrist, my hood covers my head and I head out into the mist.

I must admit, even though the rain is physically annoying it looks really beautiful. It brings out the green and dark shades of the forest and makes everything have a misty look to it. I hunch my shoulders as a sudden breeze brings with it the cold February wind that cuts through my layers and right to the bone.

After a few blocks of navigating around various puddles and staying under the overhang of buildings, I see someone walking towards me. I squint my eyes against the mist and try to recognize the figure. The figure is almost right in front of me when I recognize the hair and mocking eyes.

I duck my head, trying to sneak by without being recognized but Kol grabs my arm.

"Hey Bella, what are you doing out walking?" Kol asks as he turns me towards him.

I step back under an awning of a closed shop, "I could ask the same of you."

Kol smirks and leans in to me so much that I need to lean back. This seems strangely familiar but I just can't remember the memory, it's on the tip of my tongue but I can't reach it. Kol's dark eyes are hypnotic as the pupils expand and contract, his smooth voice commanding me. "Come with me Bella."

My feet move on their own accord and I can't even find the strength in me to resist. It's simply not there.

"What do you know about Elijah Smith, Bella?" Kol asks when we are a few feet into a dark alley.

My voice is robotic, "He's my teacher and a friend of the family."

"Is that really all, love?" He tilts his head and stares at me seriously. "No strange habits or mannerisms that people in this present day don't have?"

The words escape my mouth unwillingly, "He holds himself like a noble person and has an old way of speaking."

Kol smirks at me and a shiver goes down my spine, "Maybe he's an old fashioned person, just like the vampires you used to hang out with. Maybe he's a vampire himself."

Whatever strange power Kol has over me snaps like a twig under a foot and I gasp at him. How does he know about the Cullen's? I never told anyone, never.

"W-what?" I gasp and stumble back into the brick wall.

Kol rolls his eyes, "Oh relax darling, you're secret is safe."

Dark veins crawl down Kol's cheekbones from his suddenly red eyes. His incisors lengthen into fangs and look so very real and dangerous. His face seems so alien and strange that I jump slightly and open my mouth to scream but nothing comes out before Kol reaches over and slams my head back into the brick wall. My vision blurs and Kol catches me before my legs give out and total darkness consumes me.

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**AN: Thanks for reading and remember to leave a review and I'll send you a sneak peak of chapter 8!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Thanks for all of your lovely reviews! I'm glad you are enjoying my story and hope you continue to do so.**

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Ch. 8

The first thing that pierces through the black veil that I am under is the pain at the back of my head. It feels even worse than when I fell down the stairs on Monday. The next thing I notice is the two voices arguing quietly with each other. They sound muffled, as if they are in the other room and one keeps raising his voice.

I open my eyes and don't recognize the ceiling that I am staring up at. I know for sure that it isn't mine, so whose is it? Slowly, I raise myself up on my elbows before pushing myself up to a sitting position. I groan quietly when the pain at the back of my head throbs in time with my pulse. I bring one hand up to the back of my head and gently touch the sore area. I can't feel any blood thankfully but it hurts like a bitch.

The voices get louder and I recognize both of them immediately but why are Kol and Elijah here? My memories from before I blacked out come rushing back and I wonder if maybe it was all my imagination. It can't be though, but how is Kol a vampire? He doesn't have golden or blood red eyes, and his skin isn't cold and marble like to the touch. The only thing that really shows he is a vampire is his fangs.

Carefully, I stand up and tip toe my way to the door that is to my right. I bet it leads to outside. Just as my hand rests on the door knob though, a hand is placed flat against the door and holds it shut.

I cringe inwardly and slowly turn around and come face to face with Kol. His face is back to normal, like nothing ever happened. "You're not leaving yet, darling. You have some explaining to do."

Behind Kol, Elijah stands with his hands folded behind his back as normal. I glare at him while Kol grabs me by my arm and drags me back to the couch and pushes me to sit on it again.

"Where am I?" I say quietly.

Elijah answers, "You're in my apartment-"

Kol cuts Elijah off and says, "Now, tell us what you know about the supernatural. And don't leave anything out, love."

I turn my glare to him and keep my mouth shut, even though the Cullen's left I still made a promise which I intend to keep.

"What? Cat got your tongue? Or, maybe more accurately, vampire got your tongue?" Kol says to me.

"Screw you, I'm not saying anything."

Kol leans towards me until I can feel his breath against my face, "It's nice to see how loyal you are, even to people who don't deserve it. But then again, you are just a human and probably still think they care for you and will come back."

Elijah glares at Kol, "Kol, stop-"

Kol continues though, "Then you will be swept off your feet by their dramatic tales and you will fall all over again for their perfect and normal human façade."

I shake my head and hiss at him, "I know exactly what type of people they are and I'm not deluding myself in any way. You, on the other hand, delude yourself into thinking that you can do whatever you want and not have any consequences. You are a man who hides behind a thick cement wall like a coward. You act out and flaunt everything so you can get attention, probably because you were deprived when you were a mean child." I tell him fiercely.

Kol doesn't like that at all. His eyes start to change again and he bares his fangs at me. He raises his hand and says, "Why you little-"

Elijah stops his hand on the downward stroke and in the time of a blink, is in front of Kol. "You will not harm her, Kol. Do you understand?"

I hear something cracking and Kol winces before nodding quickly. Elijah releases Kol's hand and sits down on the couch beside me causing me to move away from him a tad. Elijah's eyes turn pained before a mask is built and he says, "Bella, I know that the Cullen's were Cold Ones, so you can tell us everything. You don't owe it to them to keep their secret anymore, not after they left you and haven't contacted you since."

"How do you know that they were vampires?" My words tumble out faster than I expected and I wince when I realize I just confirmed the Cullen's vampire status.

"We've been around for a long time Bella," Elijah says and looks up at Kol. "In that time, I've come to recognize the characteristics of Cold Ones just from stories."

I nod slowly and look down at my hands. Ever since I was young, I was able to recognize significant moments in my life easily. My mom's marriage was one, meeting the Cullen's was another and now I'm sure that this moment will also change my life.

"What are you?" I whisper before looking up at Elijah.

Elijah glances at Kol once more before saying, "We are Original Vampires and we are over a thousand years old."

My eyes widen at that but I can't help but accept it, there are just too many tips. Like Elijah's mannerisms, their accents, their way of speaking and the fact that Kol has fangs. Since they have trusted me with this secret, I should return the favour, especially about a group of people who lost my trust the moment they left town.

"The Cullen's were different from the rest of the students at school and it seemed like everyone knew it. Edward kept talking to me and saved me one night in Port Angeles and slowly I started a list of their strange characteristics. When I went down to La Push one day, my friend told me the legend of the Cold Ones and it was so similar to the Cullen's that I had to research it. I found tons of stuff on vampires ranging from completely ridiculous to things that could be true and then I found a page about Cold Ones. I was already sure that the Cullen's were Cold Ones but that website just cemented my knowledge."

I run a hand through my hair, being careful of the back of my head. "I confronted Edward and he told me that my guess was right. From that moment on, I became closer and closer to their family all the while dating Edward. When a group of nomad vampires came into town and caught my scent, the Cullen's tried to protect me. I had to tell Charlie that I didn't like Forks and was going back to Phoenix so that the leader of the nomad group, James, would leave him alone.

"Jasper and Alice then took me to Phoenix where I got a phone call from James saying that he had my mother and would kill her if I didn't come to him. I snuck away from Alice and Japser, which was easier than I thought it would be, and headed to the ballet studio where James told me to meet him. While there I realized that James didn't have my mother and he beat me up pretty bad. He even bit me but Edward sucked the venom out before I could be changed into a vampire." I say and show them the scar from James.

Elijah nods and asks, "Is that he real reason behind your fall down a flight of stairs and through a window?"

I sigh sadly and nod, "Yes, the Cullen's came up with that stupid excuse and I went along with it to keep Charlie safe. I was happy with Edward and we were almost always together until my birthday came along and I accidently got a paper cut. Jasper tried to bite me and Edward pushed me into some glass decorations. That night I knew that some of them were going to leave just from the look in Edward's eyes alone. A few days later, Edward took me out into the forest and broke up with me and stupid human me tried to follow him. I got lost and eventually Charlie sent out a search party for me and for almost two months after that day I was a zombie. I barely ate, or talked and only reacted when I had to."

I pause and look up at Elijah but I can't read his expression nor Kol's who is still standing in front of the couch. "When the old biology teacher died suddenly I knew that I had to change my ways and be better for Charlie. I was alive again and started to let the Cullen's, and their hold on me, go. Then Elijah came into town in December and took over the teaching position and here we are."

Kol walks over to a chair sitting near the couch and sits down before waving at Elijah to go ahead. "Go on and tell her our family's story brother, it is only fair."

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**AN: Hope you all enjoyed! Remember to review and you'll get a sneak peak of the next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: So sorry this took so long but here's chapter 9! I know a lot of you are wondering when Klaus will be introduced and I have to tell you that it will be in a few chapters, first I need to cut some old strings and set the scene and characters more. But Klaus will be in the story!**

**Enjoy this chapter!**

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Ch. 9

"Through Rebekah, I've learned that the hunter was part of the Five which is a band of hunters who had taken a vow to kill all vampires. The hunters each had the same tattoo that would grow when more vampires were killed by their hand. This tattoo would reveal the location of a mythical cure to vampirism but the only way to decode the map is with the hunter's sword that our sister Rebekah knows where it is hidden. When a vampire kills a hunter though, that vampire is left with such powerful hallucinations that they want to kill themselves. The only way the hallucinations go away is for a replacement hunter to kill a vampire." Elijah explains to me this time instead of Kol. It was a surprise to find out that they are actually brothers but I can see it now.

Kol and Elijah have taken turns to explain their history and what they have been doing lately. They've told me all about people named Elena, Damon, Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline, and Klaus but they haven't told me where this town is. If they did, I'd like to research it and its occupants.

"Elena was affected by this curse until her brother killed one of Klaus' hybrids, starting his mark. Jeremy wanted to kill his sister though because she was a vampire and they had to take him to their family lake house to gain control. Bonnie went with him and so did her mentor, Atticus Shane, who has been teaching her dark magic, also known as expression, to help him. Later, someone realized that Elena was actually sired to Damon and that's why she wanted to please him and explained her growing feelings for him. Elena broke up with Stefan and got together with Damon even with the sire bond making Damon doubt her feelings.

"While this was going on, Tyler was slowly getting each hybrid to break their sire bond until he had an entire pack to back him up against Klaus. The night of the Winter Fair Shane told everyone he knew where the curse was so they didn't need Klaus to give them the sword. This allowed Tyler to plan to have Klaus put into his body and then encase his body in concrete so all the hybrids could escape and never be found. Unfortunately Klaus caught wind of this plan and killed all twelve hybrids which was exactly what Shane wanted." Kol finishes and smirks at my wide-eyed expression.

Of course I'm shocked, any regular person would be but I believe everything they've said. One, because I trust Elijah to tell me the truth and two, there is no way to make this up.

"I believe you," I say numbly, still trying to wrap my head around all of this. I never thought that there could be different kinds of vampires or another town that is having even more problems than I was having. I feel kinda sorry for Elena and her friends with all they've been through but it sounds like they are no longer going after making things right and are after punishing people who hurt them before.

They haven't learned that sometimes its better just to let things go or the bloodshed will just keep circling around and will never stop. Sure Klaus hurt them in the beginning and each time they provoke him, he just hurts them back. They don't seem to realize that they are the instigators to the harm they are getting.

And no wonder Elijah's siblings are all acting out in violent ways. They only knew violence and tension as they grew up and don't understand how a normal family works together. The Originals have been so deprived of love and affection that by the time they were turned into vampires, which was all they knew. That is part of the reason why they don't care when they spill blood and the other part is the crushing betrayal that comes from knowing your own father is hunting you down and planning to kill you. I don't blame them for some of the things they did, sure they've done bad things but I'm just shocked they haven't done anything worse.

Elijah leans forward and catches my eyes, "Now Bella, I have a question for you."

I nod, "Go ahead."

"Have you noticed anything missing or out of place in your room or house lately?" Elijah asks and I lean back into the couch in thought. I open my mouth to immediately say no but Elijah's serious expression makes me pause and think it through. Mentally I go through every room in the house, the living room, the kitchen, the spare room, Charlie's room, the bathroom and finally my room. Nothing has been missing or out of place that I haven't noticed until I get to my room. My CD player was open when I am positive that I haven't opened it since summer and I have been missing a few shirts but I've put that up to losing them in the wash.

I nod slowly, "I have been missing a few shirts lately that I can't find. Why?"

Elijah sighs like he expected this. "The other day when I was over at your house, I smelt a vampire's scent that was fresh but wasn't mine or Kol's. I'll have to investigate it along with the killings in Seattle."

"Wait, why would you be investigating the killings in Seattle? Isn't that the cop's job?"

Kol laughs and says mockingly, "Of course it's the cop's job, but sometimes even they don't recognize a vampire attack when it is staring them in the face."

"You think a vampire has been murdering all those people in Seattle?" I ask in shock.

Kol rolls his eyes, "Well it's not the Tooth Fairy, that's for sure. It's probably more than one newborn vampire based on the reckless disposable."

I narrow my eyes at him, "You just know everything don't you? What next, you gonna start giving them advice on how not to get caught?"

Kol smirks at me and says in an innocent voice, "Yes, first I'll show them how to properly dispose of a body and then I'll show them how to quickly kill someone who annoys them."

Elijah gives him a hard look, "Enough Kol. Now both of you stay here and try not to kill each other."

Elijah disappears in a door off to my left and I finally take in my surroundings. I am sitting on the only couch in the living room while Kol is sitting on the only chair and all the walls are covered in bookshelves which are overflowing with books. The living room is connected to a small kitchen through an open doorway and the door that Elijah went through is probably his bedroom.

Elijah comes back out and he has something in his hands. He sits back down on the couch and says, "Bella, in order for you to never be compelled like you were with Kol again you could either where this," Elijah opens his hand and shows me a beautiful locket necklace, "or have vervain in your coffee every morning."

"I'll take the necklace," I say and reach out for the necklace and immediately fasten it around my neck.

Elijah nods, "Good, now I'll give you a ride home before Charlie gets too worried." Elijah shows me out of his apartment and I leave with a quick goodbye to Kol.

The trip home is silent and soon enough Elijah pulls up in front of my house. I turn to him before opening the door, "If you go after those vampires in Seattle, promise me to be careful." Elijah nods and then I shut the door and head into my house.

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**AN: Thanks for reading and remember to review and I'll send you a sneak peak to the next chapter! I'll post chapter 10 tomorrow, that's a promise!**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! This chapter and the next one is part of getting rid of old plot lines so I decided to post both chapters together.**

**Enjoy!**

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Ch. 10

**Elijah POV**

I straighten my dark tie in front of the full-length mirror in my room methodically, it's habit now. After my tie is straight, I smooth out any more creases and see my brother enter my room and leans against the door jam.

He is silent before giving me a sly smirk that tells me he is up to no good, "So that cute little Swan sure is a strange human. Is she not?"

I turn around but do not react as I grab my phone from off my bedside table. The best way to get Kol to leave you alone is either physically shutting him up or to ignore him until he gets bored. "That may be true but she more morally correct than any human I have ever met."

I pass by him and go through the living room and to my front door, grabbing my keys from their hook by the door as I go. Kol blurs in front of me, causing me to halt suddenly and I give him a blank look.

"Where are you going to brother? More importantly, why didn't you invite me?" Kol asks as he leans against the only exit to my apartment.

Silently I debate whether to tell him what I plan on doing and after a few moments I reluctantly admit, "I'm heading up to Seattle to deal with a little problem."

Kol's eyes light up in excitement and he says, "And you didn't ask me if I wanted to come and join in the carnage? Brother, how little do you know me?"

I raise an eyebrow, "I think I know you quite well Kol, and that's why I didn't tell you what I was doing." I impatiently wave for him to move but he stays where he is.

"I think that you're underestimating me brother. I mean, what's to stop me from making little death traps for Bella while you're gone?"

I stay silent in thought until I reluctantly say, "Fine, you can come with me but we are doing this my way."

Kol smiles and then leads the way out of my apartment, down the stairs and to where my car is waiting near the sidewalk. I get in the driver's side and barely wait for Kol before taking off in the direction of Seattle.

About halfway in the quite drive Kol speaks up "So what's the deal with this girl exactly? Sure, she's peculiar and smart for her age but why do you care so much?"

I give him a look before focusing on the road again, "She may be peculiar but she is the most moral and level-headed human I've ever come across, even Elena Gilbert. But underneath her shy exterior is a fiercely protective person who will keep her friends and family safe at any cost. That used to be our family Kol, before we were changed and we started fighting."

Kol nods silently and I continue, "What happened to us Kol? Why did we even start fighting at all?

"I don't know Elijah and I don't know who else in our family may die from it." Kol says solemnly and I glance at him, taking the time to really memorize him just in case something does happen and then our family is even more broken.

The rest of the trip is silent and I turn the radio on quietly to at least fill the void. As soon as we reach Seattle, I crack open my window and smell the air, looking for the scent that I found in Bella's room. I'm sure that the fact that Bella's things had been taken along with what is happening in Seattle is no coincidence, my guess is that Victoria is back for revenge. I drive down a few of the main streets, not finding anything before catching a small trace of the scent coming from the Eastern side of the city. I continue east but can't find the scent again.

I purse my lips and decide to drive along some back roads just in case. As we leave the residential area and reach the factory side of town, I smell the scent again. It's faint, probably a few days old and washed away from the constant rain. This is a downside of living in a constantly raining place, any scents you wish to track have faded in the rain. The upside of that though is that if you want to stay hidden, your scent is washed away before anyone can find you.

Suddenly the scent strengths and I turn sharply to the right and enter the area full of mostly abandoned factories that the homeless will sometimes hide in. I don't need to follow the scent anymore, I can easily follow the strong scent of freshly spilled blood.

"Can you smell that?" I ask Kol and he nods and points at a run-down building down the street that seems to have had better days.

I stop the car alongside the building and get out quickly. Kol and I have been on many vampire hunts so this is nothing new to either of us and we know that to keep our advantage of surprise, we need to be quiet. I can hear the vampires feeding as I blur to the front of the building while Kol goes to the back. I don't trust the rusted door so I jump through a broken window and silently creep to where the feeding sounds come from.

There appears to be twelve newborns and all of them are feeding from freshly killed humans. Kol is standing at the back of the room and we nod at each other before bluring into the mass of newborns.

I grab a young girl by her throat and she snarls at me for interrupting her feed, showing me her blood red eyes and venom laced teeth. Quickly I tear her head from her body and toss it into a corner of the room while her body goes into another. A male that was feeding from the same body looks up at me and starts to charge me for interrupting his feed. I punch him with all my strength, hearing his skin crack and tear under the force. He teeters backwards until I grab him by the shoulders and rip his head straight from his body with no hesitation.

Kol is doing the exact same thing as me and soon we kill all the newborns and all that's left is a pile of stone bodies waiting to be burned. Kol pulls out a lighter from his jacket pocket and flicks it on before dropping it onto the clothes of the vampire on the top of the pile. The dead vampire instantly ignites and soon the flames have spread to engulf the rest of the group, a large dark cloud rising above the flames.

Kol turns to look at me but his eyes focus on something behind me and suddenly he blurs away. I follow after him immediately and find him holding a female vampire with curly orange hair by her throat against the nearest wall. Victoria.

"Ah, you've found her," I say and give her a slow dark smile. "Now we can really get started."


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: It is now late April in the year 2012 and the Mystic Falls gang and Bella are going to graduate in a 2 months. **

**This is the second part of Elijah and Kol's adventure so I hope you all enjoy!**

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Ch. 11

Victoria looks unaffected even though she is being held against a wall by her throat. She must be pretty arrogant to not immediately be suspicious of us.

Kol holds her up against the wall, looking bored at the surface but I know that at any moment he can be a lethal opponent.

"I see you've found my little hide out," Victoria says in her high-pitched childlike voice. "I must admit, I'm not all that happy with my dead minions but I guess I could overlook that." She gives me a sly look and obviously looks me up and down.

I keep my composure no matter how much I want to take off a few fingers.

"Now, what are two handsome gentlemen who are obviously old vampires doing in my place?" Victoria asks, looking to Kol now and giving him a coy smile.

Kol returns her smirk while tightening his hold on her throat, creating tiny cracks in her marble skin. "We want to know if you are the one behind all the death's Seattle's had in the last few months."

Victoria flinches a little in pain from the grip on her throat but is otherwise unaffected by our presence. She giggles but doesn't say anything and Kol looks at me before nodding to the ground. I nod back and he blurs to bring her to the middle of the room and then stands behind her, holding tightly to her shoulders. He kicks her harshly in the back of the knees and I hear and loud crack. She falls to her knees, her face grimacing in pain but is trying not to show it. Kol grabs a hold of her by her throat with one hand pressing down on her right shoulder.

I slowly walk up to Victoria and stare down at her silently. It seems that she's finally getting the fact that she is in danger and should've run. I open my mouth, about to compel her when the wind blows up behind me, ruffling my jacket coat slightly.

Victoria's eyes darken and she snarls at the thin air before hissing at me. I raise an eyebrow and she hisses, "You've met that pathetic human girl; that pet of the Cullen's. Why are you here? Does she know that I'm coming to get her and that's why she sent you? Well, you won't stop me, I will have her and not even the Cullen's can stop me."

My eyes flicker up to meet Kol's for a split second; she doesn't know that the Cullen's have been gone for months? Kol silently shrugs and I think of my first question before looking back down at her, "What were you planning with all these newborns?" Not many people know that Original vampires can compel Cold Ones but it is true. It isn't flaunted as much as when we compel other vampires because not all vampires know of the existence of Cold Ones.

Victoria's eyes turn dull and her voice is monotone, "I was planning on going to Forks and killing all the Cullen's to get at that stupid human they protect."

"And what if I were to tell you that the Cullen's left Bella to defend herself six months ago and haven't been back?"

Victoria's eyes burn black with rages and she snarls long and low. "That pathetic human has been alone all along? I could've killed her off months ago!"

Kol smirks and says into her ear tauntingly, "Now you can't."

Victoria's face changes as she realizes that we both know Bella and have come here to stop Victoria in order to protect Bella. She smirks down at the ground, "Then you should know what my plans were for her, especially if they will just go to waste now. First I was going to cut off every finger and toe slowly and painfully before making hundreds of shallow cuts in her skin. Of course I'd feed from her too and when she got so discouraged, I would kill her father in front of her. I'd keep her alive for a few more days and make her feel the pain of the change over and over again until I finally drained her dry."

I ignore her words, knowing they are only meant to make me angry enough to do something stupid. "How many more newborns are changing and where are they?"

Victoria's eyes go blank again and she says, "There are ten more in the back room."

I smirk and nod at Kol. He clamps his hands down on her neck and twists sharply while pulling upwards until Victoria's head is separated from her body. He drops the head and it makes a dull thunk before it rolls slightly towards me. It stops inches before me but I turn and head to the back room to kill more newborns.

After all the newborns are burning on a fire hastily made with their creator at the bottom of the pile, Kol and I head back to Forks. This time the ride back is silent, both of us lost in thought. Once we pass through Port Angeles, Kol decides to break the silence, "Your Bella sure gets into lots of trouble for a human."

I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes, "She is not my human; no one owns her. And yes, Bella does seem to get into a fair amount of trouble."

"And you're not going to do anything about it. Wow, my noble brother for once isn't going to create extensive measures to keep her safe?"

"Yes because I know the Cullen's aren't going to come back into her life and now that Victoria is gone too, she should have a normal human life." I glance at him in a meaningful way for a second before focussing back on the road, "And if we do not bring any more supernatural in her life, she should be fine. Her father is a cop anyway; he can make sure she is safe."

"So you're already planning on leaving brother? After all the other people who have become her friends and then deserted her?" I glance sharply at Kol, surprised to hear the angry tone in his voice.

I shake my head, "No, I wouldn't just up and leave like those worthless Cullen's. I would explain to her why I had to leave but make sure to keep in contact with her and her father. They are my friends and I don't abandon my friends."

"You abandoned your family." Kol mumbles under his breath, obviously wanting me to hear it. I ignore it though and we slip into silence.

Kol's phone ringing breaks the silence and he pulls it from the pocket of his jacket. He touches a button and says, "Sister, dear, what a surprise."

"_Kol, I'd like your help here in Mystic Falls please."_ I hear Rebekah say and can practically picture her rolling her eyes at him.

"Why would you ever need my help?" He asks sarcastically with a large smirk on his face.

"_Look, do you want to help me find the Cure to vampirism or not?"_

Kol becomes serious and says, "Yes, that seems like something I'd want to do. I'll be in Mystic Falls shortly, sister."

Kol then hangs up the phone and puts it away. "Well, looks like I'll be going back to Seattle to catch a flight. See you later brother." Kol says with one last smirk before blurring out of the moving vehicle.

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**AN: Thanks for reading this chapter and the last and I hope you all remember to review! I will send you a sneak peak of chapter 12!**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Thanks for everyone who reviewed and read the last chapter! I know you all are wondering when Klaus is coming into the story and I _promise_ Klaus will be in the story 7 chapters. I know it sounds like a lot but it will pass quickly. **

**Enjoy the chapter!**

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Ch. 12

**Bella POV**

School and life goes back to normal after finding out the truth about Elijah and Kol. I knew there was something strange about them from the beginning but I never thought that they could be a different species of vampires, let alone the first vampires ever.

I found out about them on Friday night and now it's Monday afternoon and strangely enough, I haven't seen hide or head of Kol at all. I saw Elijah during class today and he pulled me aside to tell me that Victoria was behind the killings in Seattle and she is no longer a problem anymore. He also told me that his sister Rebekah asked Kol to join her in Mystic Falls for something. I appreciated him telling me because I don't like not being told something just because I need to be protected or not important enough to know. I'm glad Elijah has realized it and keeps me informed.

As I climb into my truck, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I shut my door before taking out my phone to see that Kol has just texted me. How does he even know my number? I know that I didn't give it to him. I sigh in annoyance while opening the text.

_Kol: Research and find everything you can about a man named Silas._

I tilt my head slightly in confusion, why would I do this for Kol? He is an annoying person who knocked me out and now he wants me to do him a favor. Heck no.

I toss my phone onto the passenger seat and pull out of the school parking lot to head home. On the way home my eyes keep trailing back to my phone even though I don't want them too. It's just another puzzle and it will probably not have a good ending. Besides, if Kol wants me to research him then this 'Silas' must be dangerous and powerful. I don't think I want to get involved with that, I have already broken my promise to myself to not get involved with the supernatural again.

My eyes wander back to the phone once again as I am pulling into my parking spot at home. I groan and grab my phone in irritation that I'm giving in so soon. I grab my backpack and slam the door of my truck and the front door before heading upstairs to my rickety old computer. I hit the power button and start on my English homework while I wait for it to turn on.

Once the computer stops groaning at me, I open up the internet and search anything about a 'Silas'. That of course turns up too many links that don't have any relevance to matter. So I change my search a little and find an old legend about someone named Silas being a witch. That seems more close to the truth so I keep looking along those lines and read an online paper published by the same Atticus Shane that is supposedly helping Bonnie from Elijah's story. His paper seems mostly fictional and if I didn't know any better, I would believe that he is making everything up.

My phone starts ringing from its position on my bed and I turn to grab it. Kol's name flashes on the screen and I answer it. "Hello Kol."

"_Hey chickie, how's the research going?" _Kol asks in a cocky voice, like he already knows that I gave in to the temptation to research Silas.

I grit my teeth, "Not so good Kol. I can't find anything besides Shane's stuff and I don't think you want that."

"_Nope, but you should hurry darling. The clock's ticking." _Kol says and I roll my eyes at the nickname. It seems that he can't just stick with one but I have gotten used to it.

"Why is the clock ticking? You're the one that asked for it, not me." I spit back at him, angry that he is pushing me.

"_That's true but a lot depends on this information Bella." _Kol's voice is suddenly serious and I'm slightly worried.

"Kol?" I ask but he hangs up on me. I toss my phone back onto my bed and turn back to my computer.

I find a more reliable site and start taking notes from all the relative sites until I almost have Silas' whole life story written out. My hand starts cramping so I put done my pen and open and close my fist to loosen it up.

I just start to finish writing some minor points that may be important when I hear Charlie slam the door as he comes into the house. My eyes widen as I look at the clock because I completely forgot about making supper for once.

I get up from my desk and race down the stairs and trip on the last step causing me to belly flop onto the hardwood floor. I groan before pushing myself back up and dusting myself off. Charlie stands before me, his mustache twitching under the force to not smile and let out a laugh. I roll my eyes, "You can let it out now."

Charlie lets out a large chuckle before calming down quickly. I roll my eyes at him, "Well, now I don't feel too bad about forgetting to make supper."

Charlie shrugs his shoulders as he takes off his jacket and puts it on the coat hanger. "That's fine Bells, it's okay for you to take breaks every once in a while. We can just order in a pizza or something."

I smile, "Sounds good dad." I say and grab the phone from off the wall and dial the number from memory.

For the next hour, Charlie and I laugh and eat pizza at the kitchen table like a real family. I haven't had a family supper like that for a long time, not even when I lived with Renee. I told him about school and he told me about some of the funnier excuses some kids try to tell him when he catches them breaking the law. I don't worry about Silas or the fact that Kol is probably calling my phone for more information. I just have fun; like a normal teenager would and I love it. I can't believe how much of life I've missed being wrapped around Edward and then always worrying about something.

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**AN: I love writing the little scenes with Charlie and Bella, it's just so fun. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and remember to review! I'll send you a sneak peak of chapter 13!**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and as promised, here is chapter 13! Enjoy!**

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Ch. 13

After supper, Charlie volunteers to clean the dishes and sends me upstairs to do schoolwork. I think that he liked having the family atmosphere at dinner too and is trying to tell me by doing the dishes. He may not be a vocal man but I understand his actions.

Back in my room, I glance at my phone to see I have five missed calls but I don't care. I sit back at my computer and shake the mouse to wake it up. I finish writing some minor details down on my notepad just as my phone starts buzzing again.

I roll my eyes and answer the call, "Yes Kol?" I ask slowly.

"_Now you answer darling, I have things to do you know." _Kol says in an irritated voice.

I lean back in my chair completely at ease, "Of course you do Kol, but you could be nicer to the person who did all of the researching for you."

"_I trust you to have gotten this done quickly and efficiently Bella," _Kol says, his voice taking on a darker tone.

I smirk to myself and continue, "I'll tell you everything I learned about Silas, but it may have some wrong points though."

"_Go ahead."_

"Alight, well Silas was originally a very powerful witch two thousand years ago along with his friend Qetsiyah. Silas wanted to make an immortality spell and asked Qetsiyah to help him and she agreed, thinking that they would be together forever. Silas became immortal but never intended to give the spell of immortality to Qetsiyah though; he wanted to give it to another woman that he loved. Qetsiyah was so mad when she figured out that he didn't want to spend eternity with her that she killed Silas' lover. She then created a cure for immortality and imprisoned him in a deep underground cave on a deserted island with the cure. Qetsiyah created a supernatural place for all dead supernatural beings called The Other Side so that if Silas took the cure and died, he would be with her on The Other Side. Silas refused to take the cure though and has remained buried underground for two thousand years waiting until someone wakes him up.

"Some people say that after Silas awakes, he wants to destroy The Other Side and take the cure so that he can be reunited with his love again. If he destroys The Other Side though, all supernatural creatures will come back to life again but I haven't found anything that says what would happen to the supernatural beings if they died after The Other Side was destroyed."

Kol is silent on the other end of the phone call and I add, "Kol, this Silas is

a big deal. He may be imprisoned but some say that he can make you hallucinate even while desiccated. If he can make vampires hallucinate whatever he wants, who knows what else he can do."

"_Thank you for researching this for me Bella." _Kol says seriously.

"Kol?" I ask, confused. Why isn't he worried about Silas anymore, he was worried before. I sigh and push on with a warning, "Look, just make sure you don't raise him, ever. Silas will make all of our lives miserable until he gets what he wants."

Kol is back to his arrogant self now. _"I know that darling, it's the ignorant Gilbert vampire and her stupid brother that don't understand. All they want is the cure, no matter the cost, just so that Elena can become human again. I mean, what's so good about being human anyways?" _Kol says in his snippy voice that he gets when he is denied something or is especially angry.

I have a feeling that question is rhetorical so I don't answer that questions specifically. "Kol, what happened today? Why are you even grumpier than usual?"

"_Nothing darling, it's just that people don't seem to have any more faith in the world. And with that loss, they don't know who or what to fear, no matter what I tell them."_

A bad feeling goes up my spine at Kol's words and his serious tone. I may not be a vampire with strong senses but I do know that he has something planned. "That may be true Kol but I have a feeling that you are going to regret whatever you are planning to do."

"_Oh, no I am not sweet heart. I am going to cut off Jeremy Gilbert's tattooed arm so that they can never find the cure and will never raise Silas. Then I may kill his sister just for being an annoying bitch."_

My eyes widen, "Wait, Kol –"

He cuts me off though as my heart beats faster and faster. I have a feeling that this night will turn out much different than anyone expects it too.

"_Sorry I've got Jeremy Gilbert trying to call me. Bye Bella, say hello to my brother for me."_

Kol hangs up on me again and I throw the phone at the bed as I pace in my room. I could call Elijah but he can't run to wherever Kol is in the next ten minutes. I don't know anyone that is near Kol to stop him and I have a feeling that he will ignore my calls. I might as well try though so I grab my phone and redial his number. The phone rings over and over again before his voice mail answers. I end the call and dial him again, the bad feeling in my heart growing more and more.

**LINEBREAK**

I am pulled out of the darkness by someone shaking me gently. I turn over in my bed where I fell asleep sometime after calling Elijah to tell him that Kol is going to do something bad. I roll towards the person sitting on my bed and look up to see Elijah's face lit by the moonlight.

"Wha?" I ask, still half asleep.

"Bella, you were right about Kol." Elijah says as he sits down on the edge of my bed. I push myself into a sitting position and wipe my eyes of grogginess.

"Why, what happened Elijah?"

Elijah looks down at the floor for a few moments before looking at me silently, "Kol went after Elena and Jeremy Gilbert tonight. He was staked by the White Oak Stake, Bella. Kol's dead. "

My eyes widen and my heart stops, I knew something bad was going to happen but I never thought it would be this. A big lump grows in my throat and my eyes start to moisten but I hold back the tears when I see Elijah. Elijah's dark eyes look away from me and he looks down on his hands, no saying anything. I can see that his brother's death really has hit him hard in the stiffness of his shoulders and shaking hands. I would be devastated too if my sibling died.

I reach over and pull Elijah into a tight hug, "It'll be alright Elijah. It's not any of your family's fault, it's Elena and Jeremy's."

Elijah shakes his head 'no' and says, "Klaus and Rebekah should've looked after him more, they should've protected him. I should've gone with him and protected him."

I hug him tighter and say firmly, "It is not your responsibility to always protect your family. They are Original Vampires that can look after themselves, even if some new vampire gets the best of them at times. Kol's death was not necessary, he just wanted to keep the world safe from Silas."

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**AN: I know, I know, don't hate me! I don't like that Kol was killed off in VD and I would've kept him alive if it would've fit into my plot line. Unfortunately it didn't and he had to go. But, there will be pay back, not to worry! Remember to review and I'll send you a sneak peak of chapter 14.**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: PLEASE READ. So in my story I'm moving up the timeline of things after Katherine takes off with the Cure. Let's say after Rebekah found out that Katherine took the Cure away she calls Elijah right away and tells him about it. After that Klaus is released from the Gilbert living room and that same night Bonnie and Elena come back. **

**Elena realizes that Jeremy is dead, turns off her emotions and burns down her house while Bonnie plans to kill the twelve witches. Later that **_**same**_** night Bonnie starts her plan and Caroline kills the twelve witches. **

**So all of that happened in one day and is the same day that everyone came back from the island. No one stayed behind on the island they all left at the same time. **

**It is now early to mid May in this story.**

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Ch. 14

**Elijah POV**

It's been a few days since my brother Kol died at the hands of Elena and Jeremy Gilbert. I imagine that they are now looking for the stupid Cure that my brother died over because if they had already found it, Rebekah would've let me know.

I pack up all the papers that I need to grade over the weekend and lock the classroom door behind me on the way out. I'm walking through the silent hallways on my own as it's after 7 o'clock and all the other teachers left a few hours ago.

I turn on the alarm and lock the front doors behind me before heading to the parking lot where my car is the only one left. I open the passenger side door and put all my stuff gently down, not wanting my bag to accidently open. I shut the passenger side door and get into my side of the car just as my phone rings from my pocket. I reach in, grab it and lift my eyebrows curiously when I see Rebekah's name on the screen.

"Hello Rebekah," I answer as I pull out of the parking lot and head to my apartment.

"_Elijah, I need to ask you something." _Rebekah says and I roll my eyes, already knowing what she's going to ask.

"No, Rebekah, I'm not coming back to Mystic Falls. I've started a new life here."

"_That may be true Elijah but Elena and her friends have lost the Cure to Katherine."_

I quickly pull into my parking space and grab my things before heading out into the rain, "I thought you were handling this Rebekah."

Rebekah growls at me slightly,_ "I was handling it Elijah until someone shoved a grenade into my chest."_

I sigh, "What do you want me to do about it Rebekah?"

"_I'd like you to find Katherine Pierce and get the Cure back. Or at least make sure she doesn't give it away or take it herself." _Rebekah pleads with me and her voice cripples my defiance.

"Okay, I'll help you Rebekah but don't mistake this as me coming home. After I get the Cure back for you, I'm coming back to my new life."

Rebekah laughs in relief and says, _"Thank you Elijah."_

I hang up the phone as I open the door to my apartment and put all my things on the kitchen counter. I guess if I'm leaving right away then I need to put the papers somewhere the replacement will be able to find them and mark. I blur around the apartment and grab anything that I will really need and leave the stuff that I can live without. I call the landlord and leave a message that while I'm gone for a while, I will continue paying rent. Then I grab the papers and my stuff and put them into my car before heading over to Bella's.

I know that she doesn't like when she isn't told things so I'm going to tell her that I'm going in order to keep her trust. I don't want her to think that I would abandon her so I'll tell her why I'm leaving and then tomorrow I'll call Charlie and tell him I'm leaving. It's a little after 9 o'clock so I park my car down the street and then blur towards Bella's window and into her room.

**Mystic Falls, Virginia**

**Caroline POV**

I stumble into my house, barely remembering to shut the door behind me. My chest heaves with sobs wanting to escape from my body but I hold them back. The guilt of the twelve dead witches weighs heavily on my chest and I feel like I can't breathe. Before when I killed the man at the town fair when I was a new vampire, I couldn't help myself and didn't realize what I was doing. Tonight though, I knew exactly what I was doing and the consequences of going through with my plan.

I just wanted to keep Bonnie safe, that's all I've ever tried to do ever since I've become a vampire. I've protected Matt when Tyler was a werewolf and was trying to kill me, I tried to help Elena by helping them unravel where the Cure was. I even tried to get Bonnie out from under Silas' control tonight but when I saw that the witches were going to kill her, I acted.

I regret killing all those innocent lives tonight. They didn't do anything wrong, they only wanted to help a fellow witch be freed from a vampires' control. Now they're dead and it's all my fault and do I get any thanks? Nope. I get disappointed looks from Klaus and Stefan, Elena's too upset about Jeremy's death to even realize what's going on and Bonnie was just glad that the triangle was completed.

So I ran from there and came straight home. I stumble into my room and collapse face down onto my bed silent tears soaking into the comforter. How can I live in this horrible town anymore? All it's ever done is ruin my life over and over again. First, I was turned into a vampire by a vengeful vampire doppelganger. Second, I was tortured so that my friends could bring Tyler back to his werewolf friends. Third, I lost my dad to Alaric's dark side just because he was a Forbes. Fourth, Tyler had to run away today because Klaus was going to hunt him down and kill him once he got out of Elena's living room. What's next? Will I be the next one to die or will my mom be the next one hurt?

I can't stay here anymore, not when there is so much death and guilt. I want to be somewhere quiet, where no one will ever be able to find me and drag me back to the cursed town.

I sit up, wipe the tears from my eyes against the soft dawn light and open my bedside drawer. A little slip of paper is laying innocently there, taunting me with guilt for deciding to leave my home. I grab the paper before I can take the coward's way out and dial the number on my cell phone.

The student exchange teacher answers and I tell her that I've made my decision. A few weeks ago I handed in a student exchange form and a few nights ago I was accepted to go to this small town in Washington State. I haven't told anyone except my mom what I did and silently I've been thinking whether or not I should go through with it. Tonight my decision was made and I'm accepting to go to Washington while this other girl comes here.

My mom has pushed me to accept the exchange over and over again because she wants me to be safe. But another reason why I haven't accepted is that she'd still be here, in danger without me to protect her. Mom told me that she'd be fine though and I'm taking her up on that.

I can only hope that this other girl won't be pulled into all this supernatural stuff and will have a good time here. Maybe she'll be ignorant like the rest of the town and won't be harmed at all during her time here. Sure, I feel slightly guilty that I'm letting some innocent person come here but it's only for a few weeks.

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**AN: Thanks for reading and I'm sorry that this took so long to post. But I am half done my NLS course and have time to post again. I know the quickened timeline might be a little confusing but this is the way it must be for my plot line to work.**

**Oh! Thanks to everyone who has ever reviewed to make the total over 100! I never thought that it would happen so fast and I'm extremely happy! Remember to review and I'll send you a sneak peak of chapter 15!**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: This might not have been too clear from the last chapter but Elijah is not going to Mystic Falls. He is going to follow Katherine to Willoughby, PA and will try to convince her to give him the cure. This is before Elena and Rebekah even go to New York.**

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Ch. 15

I hang up my phone and let it drop into my lap silently. I just got off the phone with the student exchange teacher saying that I was chosen to leave for a small town in Virginia named Mystic Falls in two days. The student I'm exchanging with is happy to come to Forks and apparently wanted to come here as soon as possible. That sounded a little funny but I accepted it because I get to visit another town.

Apparently Mystic Falls has a rich history, reaching all the way back to the witch burning's. I can't wait to live there and maybe I'll figure out what I exactly want to do when I graduate.

I get out of my bed and clean up for the day in the bathroom that Charlie and I share. As I'm brushing my hair I remember that Elijah has left town for an unknown amount of time. Last night Elijah came into my room and explained how his sister Rebekah called him last night and asked for his help in getting the Cure back from Katherine Pierce.

I'm glad that he told me he was leaving to my face because that means that he respects my ideals. After Edward abandoned me I have an idea that my if my friends are truly my friends, then they won't just abandon me out of the blue. Instead they will explain to me why they are going and won't just make up a stupid excuse.

Sure I'll miss Elijah but I'm sure we will keep in contact and it's time that I go out adventuring on my own.

I head downstairs to make myself some breakfast while I look over the information I took down from the exchange teacher. She told me that this girl, Caroline Forbes, had booked a flight to come to Washington in two days and that her only request was that I make sure that her mother, the Sheriff of Mystic Falls, didn't take any unnecessary risks. I can happily do that as long as she will do that same for Charlie, I wouldn't want him to do something stupid just because I wasn't here to look after him.

After I put my bowl and spoon into the dishwasher I grab the home phone and dial Charlie's work number from memory. It rings and rings for a while until Charlie answers with, _"Forks Police Department, Chief Swan speaking."_

"Hey dad, it's Bella." I tell him as I clean up the messages on the small tack board next to the phone.

"_Hey Bells, is something wrong?"_

"No dad, just I wanted to tell you something. My student exchange application was accepted and I get to go to Virginia in two days."

"_That's great Bella! I'm very proud of you kiddo." _Charlie says.

"Thanks dad, but I was wondering if you remembered the other part of the exchange. The part where when I go to Virginia the other student gets to live here for a while."

"_Oh, right." _Charlie's voice is unenthusiastic and I'm worried that he won't agree to this.

"So do you still want to take part in the exchange, I promise it will only be for a few weeks."

Charlie sighs and I can picture him rubbing his mustache. _"Alright Bella, it'll be fine but I'm going to miss you a lot during those weeks."_

"I'll miss you too dad. Anyway, I was just checking if you were still okay with the other kid coming here. Now that you are I'm going to go and start packing and booking a flight. See you later dad." I say to him and wait to hear him say goodbye before hanging up the phone.

I go upstairs and turn on my ancient computer to book a flight to Virginia. While I wait for it to boot up, I clean my room and pack a bag full of stuff that I want to take with me. I take some of my clothes from Phoenix I kept and a few books. After I'm mostly packed I check online and book a flight for tomorrow morning that will bring me into Richmond in the afternoon.

Since it's only mid-afternoon on a Saturday, I grab my keys and hop into my truck to head downtown. While I drive through town, I take in the details of each building. Trying to remember each on almost perfectly before I leave for Virginia for a few weeks. I pull up in front of Newton's, get out and hurry into their store before the rain soaks me too much. Once inside I walk up to the front counter and ring the little bell by the cash register since I can't see anyone. A few seconds later Mrs. Newton comes out from the back room, "Hello Bella, I haven't seen you as often now that you're on shift with my son."

I smile and nod, "Yes Mrs. Newton, I haven't seen much of you either."

"Well, what can I do for you Bella? I doubt that you're in here looking for camping equipment." She winks at me and my smile grows wider. I may not like Mike all that much when he tries to get me to date him but his parents are amazingly nice people. I'm going to miss them when I leave, just like I'll miss my other friends too.

"Actually Mrs. Newton, I'm here to quit my job." Mrs. Newton goes to interrupt me but I continue, "I applied for a student exchange and was accepted to go across the country. The only problem is that I have to quit this job because I'll be gone for at least a month."

"Wow, that's almost when you graduate Bella."

"That's why I'm hoping that I'll like the town enough to finish the year there and come back for the summer. So, I'll have to quit this job here and then would it be possible for me to have a job when I come back?"

Mrs. Newton nods enthusiastically, "Of course Bella, that's perfectly fine as long as you would email me the days you plan to come back into town and I'll have everything ready for you to start working again."

I nod, "Thanks Mrs. Newton, this means a lot to me."

"You're welcome Bella, have fun on your exchange!"

I nod, wave goodbye and head out the door, ready to have some change in my life.

**~The Next Day~**

The sound of the cab driving over a bridge wakes me up from the light doze I drifted off into. I lift my head from its spot on the headrest and look out the window at the large trees on either side of the road. I smile at the familiarity and excitement bubbles within me the closer and closer I get to Mystic Falls. Soon enough I spot a sign coming up on the right side of the road and I strain my eyes to read it. As it comes close I see that it reads 'Welcome to Mystic Falls' and I smile larger at all the possibilities I'll have here.

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**AN: Thanks for reading and I know it's kinda a filler but more action will be coming in the next few chapters! Remember to review, anyone who does will get a sneak peak of the next chapter! Unfortunately I won't be able to post until at least Monday because my other half of NLS is this weekend so wish me luck!**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: IMPORTANT! This chapter takes place during episode 16 _Bring It On_ but I've made a slight change in the story from here on out. Caroline has already left for Forks and Klaus does not sleep with Hayley in my story, so no baby for Hayley.**

**I passed my NLS, yay! I'm sorry if I didn't respond to everyone's reviews, I had a very demanding weekend. **

**Enjoy this chapter, I loved writing it!**

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Ch. 16

The cab pulls up in front of a nice one-story house with a wraparound porch. The grass is a lush green color and there is a tall tree in the front yard. I open my wallet, pay the driver and step out into the warm Virginia sun. It's only a little after five in the afternoon so I hope Caroline's mother is home to let me in.

The cab pulls away from the curb as I walk towards the porch and take in the cream colored siding and the door with a large window set into it. I knock hesitantly on the wood door as I pear through the window. Inside there is a foyer that reaches about three feet into the house and has two wood doors with glass squares in them. On the right of the foyer is a dresser that holds stuff like keys and change. I hear footsteps coming from deep in the house so I take a step back on the porch and pretend like I wasn't just snooping into my new house.

A middle aged woman walks into the foyer and holds open the door as she smiles at me, "You must be Bella Swan, come in."

I smile back as I take in her short, pixy-cut blonde hair and the fine wrinkles around the corners of her mouth and eyes. I step forward and hold out my hand for her to take, "You must be Sheriff Forbes, it's very nice to meet you."

Sheriff Forbes shakes my hand and says, "Please call me Liz." Liz then motions for me to come into the house which I do, taking my one suitcase with me. I look around and take in the large amount of sunlight streaming in through the open windows. Liz walks through the two other doors and turns to the left. I follow a few steps behind her and walk into a quaint living room with a rocking chair and a flower-patterned couch. The large windows are covered in a sheer cream colored material that allows sunlight to stream into the living room. There is a fireplace in the other corner of the room and on the mantle are pictures of a blonde girl and her friends.

Liz sits in the rocking chair and I take a seat on the couch, putting my suitcase on the ground. Mrs. Forbes has her Sheriff clothes still on because she probably just got off of work. "Bella, I'm not going to give you any illusions about me. I work late nights so you'll be on your own a lot but I am very happy that you came to live here, even though I'll miss my daughter."

"I understand Liz, I also lived with a cop so I can take care of myself." I tell her and she smiles.

"Good, I didn't want you to be disappointed." She puts her hands on her knees and gets to her feet. "Since you'll be here for at least two months, I took the liberty of clearing out the extra room here and bought a new bed spread."

Liz leads me out of the living room and down a short hallway. She points to the first door on the right, "This is Caroline's room and the room directly across from it is my bedroom." She points to the second door on the right, "This is your bedroom for the next few months and the bathroom is the door at the very end of the hallways." Caroline's bedroom door is shut but my door is open a crack. I step up to it and open the door slightly to see the room is also filled with sunlight. The bedspread is a nice light baby blue color and there is a dresser and a desk against one wall.

"You'll have to shop for other clothes; I bet Washington is colder than Virginia is." Liz says as I slowly spin as I take in the entire room.

"Thanks Liz, this is much more than I ever expected." I tell her and Liz blushes lightly.

Liz clears her throat, "Well, your first day of school is tomorrow so get some sleep. I probably won't be there in the morning but you can use Caroline's car for the next few weeks to get around town."

I nod and put my suitcase on the bed, "Thanks again Liz, good night." Liz leaves my new room and shuts the door behind her. I sit down on the bed and let this whole new experience wash over me. Anticipation rises in me but along with it, a sense of dread. I brush the second feeling aside though and unpack my bags with my thoughts of the next school day running through my head.

**~The Next Day~**

I pull up to the Mystic Falls High school in Caroline's car and watch as the other students all walk from their cars across the grass and into the school. There seems to be a lot more buses than usual here but what do I know? There are also a lot of girls who are wearing cheerleading outfits, all of them different colors. A light bulb goes off in my head and I laugh, of course on my first day of school a cheerleading competition would take place. I'm still laughing to myself as I step out of the car and lock my doors. I hoist my backpack up onto my shoulder, turn to go into the school and bump into a girl. The girl is about my height and is wearing a red cheerleader outfit and her dark brown hair is in a pony tail on her head.

"Oops, I'm sorry I bumped into you." I say with an apologetic smile and the girl kinda smirks nastily at me.

She shrugs, "That's fine, you weren't watching where you were going anyways."

I'm shocked at her attitude and start to walk away only for the girl to step in front of my path. I jump back, startled, but stand tall.

The girl tilts her head at me and smiles sweetly but I can see the nastiness behind it, "You didn't tell me your name, I'm Elena Gilbert."

I fake a smile at her, feeling completely unnerved with this situation. "I'm Bella Swan, the exchange student from Washington State."

"Oh, so you're the exchange student that took Caroline's place. I guess there wasn't much choice but any choice is good when you're running from your problems. Isn't that right Bella?" Elena sneers at me and I raise an eyebrow. "You must be running from something if you chose to do your exchange in the last month of your senior year. It must've been really bad too so why don't you tell me all about it in the washroom?" Elena's pupils expand and contract a tiny bit while she's talking to me and for a minute I think that she is trying to compel me. I'm most likely imagining things though. I mean, what's the chance that the first town I go to on my own besides Forks or Arizona is the place that Elijah and Kol told me about. Sure this girl's name is Elena Gilbert and another girl is named Caroline but it's probably just a coincidence.

This girl acts just like Lauren from my old school but this time around, I'm not going to just stand here and take it. "Is that the only insult you can come up with? That's really pathetic and I think that you should find a new personality, the whole popular mean girl thing is so overdone."

My eyes widen as I realize what I just said and Elena's face grows cold and hard. I sputter apologizes and then rush off into the school and internally yell at myself. On my first day of school I have to make an enemy out of the first person I meet. Way to go Bella, I think to myself and quickly head to the administrators office.

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**AN: How'd you all like that conflict? Just to make it clear, Elena has turned her humanity off and doesn't care anymore. This will be very interesting... Remember to review and I'll send you a sneak peak of the next chapter.**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Sorry about this being so late, I've had to work all week and all this weekend. Urgh. So since this is the only time I'll be able to update - I hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

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Ch.17

The rest of the school day passes uneventfully. I had obtained my class list from the administrative office and my locker number and lock code. I found my locker with relative ease and then but most of the binders that I had brought with me from Forks in my locker. The first class I have every morning is Math followed by English and the History. I made it to Math easily because it was only a few doors down from my locker but then I got lost on my way to English. Turns out, there are a lot more hallways in this school than I thought. I got lost and ended up on the opposite end of the school from where my class was taking place without me. Thankfully a late comer found me on the way to his class and pointed me in the right direction. I made it to English and the rest of my morning classes simply after that.

As I come out of the History class and start to head to my locker, I see a familiar face. Elena Gilbert is walking down the hallways towards me but hasn't seen me just yet. I duck my head down and watch my feet intently the closer I get to my locker. I just want to grab some money from my bag and get to the cafeteria before I get on Elena's nerves anymore than I already have.

The name Elena Gilbert is the same as the one Kol and Elijah told me about. I can believe in randomly meeting someone named Elena Gilbert but add that name to the fact that she tried to compel me and meeting Liz Forbes and I know that this is the town from Elijah and Kol's story.

A few steps later I breathe a quiet sigh of relief that Elena didn't see me and open my locker with quick fingers. I fumble with the zipper on my bag that holds my wallet but manage to undo the zipper and grab my wallet. As I shut my locker door, I realize that everyone in the hallways has already left to go for lunch. It looks like no one has been here for days and the linoleum creaks under my runners.

Someone grabs a hold of my elbow as I pass the girls bathroom and yanks me inside with a force stronger than I thought any human could have. I start to scream only for another hand to clamp down on my mouth and smoothers it. I trip and barely manage to stay on my feet as I'm pulled farther into the bathroom, only to fall to my knees when tossed into the concrete wall. I quickly get back to my feet and take a step back from the person who dragged me in here. Elena Gilbert.

My back is almost pressed against the wall and Elena is standing between me and the only exit from here. She gives me a smirk, "You really didn't think I'd let you just run away after saying those mean things to me?"

I roll my eyes but reach a hand up to rub the upper part of my left arm that is sore from where she grabbed it. "Look Elena, I'm sorry about what I said to you so you don't need to reaffirm your mean girl dominance. I get that you're popular with everyone at this school and I'm just the new girl so I'll stay out of your way. Okay?"

Elena tilts her head to the side and then nods slowly. I hesitate a second before walking near the sinks as I attempt to get past her. Suddenly, Elena grabs me by my left shoulder and turns me to her and says, "Actually, no I think I need to teach you a lesson and besides, I'm hungry."

Elena's face changes as fangs grow from her incisors and dark veins drop from her now blood red eyes. I remember that face from Kol and can barely gasp before Elena has her free hand twisted in my hair. She yanks savagely to show my throat and she rips into my throat. I cry out and try to push her away but she is too strong and is locked onto my throat. I can feel her pulling my blood from out of my body and I know that if I don't stop her somehow, I might just die here. I take one hand and try to claw out her eyes while the other punches her in the throat.

Elena pulls away from my neck to grow at me with her blood stained lips. She takes the hand that isn't wrapped in my hair and grabs my left hand in it. She clamps down on the fingers with impossible strength and just as I'm about to scream from the pain of my fingers breaking, she slams my head harshly onto the edge of the sink. Blackness consumes me.

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The next conscious thought I have is about the pain in my fingers. I can't remember why the hurt so terribly for a few moments but then my memory comes back to me. I push myself off the dirty bathroom floor until I'm leaning heavily against the sinks.

I tilt my head up and look at my reflection in the mirror. The left side of my neck is a bloody mangled mess but at least it isn't bleeding anymore. I look down at my left hand and all the fingers are a gruesome dark purple color and aren't completely straight anymore. I know I have to go to the hospital but I have no idea how I'll explain this. Out of all the towns in America it's just my stupid luck that I exchange to the one filled with vampires that Kol and Elijah told me about. I mean, what are the odds?

I gasp as I think of a name, Kol. Kol was killed by Elena Gilbert and her brother Jeremy only a week ago and I'm in the town that he died in. I was just getting my blood drained by the person who killed Elijah's younger brother. My expression hardens when I remember all that Elijah and Kol told me and I swear that I will try to stay away from all the people that Kol and Elijah mentioned. Unfortunately it will be hard to stay away from Liz but I will keep the fact that I know all about them a secret. I shake my head in disbelief and think about calling Elijah to tell him about it only to shake that thought away. This is my problem and I'm going to deal with it but if I gets too tough then I'll call Elijah or just go back to Forks. I'm not going to just give in anymore like I did with the Cullen's, I'm going to face things for myself.

With my right hand I take some paper towel, wet it and try to wash my bite mark as best as I can. I wince each time I get a little too close to the punctures but manage to at least clean up the surrounding area.

The journey from the school to the hospital wasn't too bad and luckily no one really noticed me leave school since fourth period had already started. Once I got to the hospital I went straight to the emergency room and luckily I was admitted right away and was left to wait for a doctor. I figured that I would have to wait at least ten minutes so I leaned back against the wall the bed was pushed up against and tried to ignore the smell of my own blood.

Not even ten minutes later, the sound of footsteps nearing my room makes me open my eyes and I see an average height woman with a white doctor's coat come in. Her medium length brown hair is pulled back into a loose bun on her head and she smiles at me when she enters. "Hi Miss Swan, I'm Dr. Fell and I'll be looking after you today."

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**AN: Was anyone expecting that? I want to know what you thought of the chapter so please leave a review and I'll send you a sneak peak of the next chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: This chapter goes through two point of view changes but I will assure you that this won't happen often. Most of this story will just be told through Bella's POV with only a few other characters popping up once in a while to give more depth. This is the first and last time either of these characters will have their own POV so tell me what you think!**

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Ch. 18

**Meredith POV**

I grab the chart that is on the pile for me to go to next and quickly scan the details. Isabella Swan born in Forks, Washington goes to Forks High School and was recently in the hospital for a broken leg, multiple lacerations, and blood loss. I look a little closer at her history and my eyes widen at the amount of times that she's had to been to a hospital from broken bones to stove burns.

I head towards her room and the moment that my eyes land on her, I know this is a different situation than what I've seen in her chart. Bella's eyes widen and a hint of recognition shows in her eyes before she looks down at her hands. "Hi Miss Swan, I'm Dr. Fell and I'll be looking after you today," I tell her as I take a seat on a rolling chair near the bed. I snap on some gloves before turning towards her and immediately scan her body with my eyes for the problem.

"What's the problem today?" I ask when I see nothing glaringly obvious.

Bella looks down at the bed for a moment before looking back up at me. "An animal attacked me while I was leaving the school to go home and grab my lunch I forgot." She then reaches up with her right hand and pulls the hair away from the left side of her neck. I school my expression as soon as I see the puncture marks and reach behind me to grab some alcohol cloths.

"That's a nasty bite you've got there Miss Swan," I tell her as I quickly and efficiently clean the wound and then put a large bandage over top of it. "Is there anything else that happened too?"

Bella slowly nods and then motions to her left hand and my eyes lock onto her discolored fingers. Gently I grab her left wrist and raise the hand to my eyes for a closer inspection. In my mind I can tell that this did not accidently happen, I can already see the finger shaped bruises developing. I bite down slightly on my tongue in agitation before looking at Bella, "I need to grab something to brace your hand but I'll be back soon."

The moment that I'm out of her room, I take my gloves off and reach for my cell phone in my pocket. I pull up the contact that I'm looking for and press the Call button. I place the phone up next to my ear and tap my foot impatiently while I wait for Stefan to answer.

He finally answers but I talk over him, "Do you know what Elena did today Stefan?"

Stefan sighs and says reluctantly, _"What did Elena do?"_

I turn a corner in the hospital and pop into an unused room. "I have a patient here with a bite mark and four broken fingers Stefan." I hiss at him, "Now I know that you, Damon and Caroline have more control than that but Elena just switched her emotions off. Was anyone watching her today?"

"_No, Elena got out of my sight for a few minutes during lunch but it won't happen again Meredith."_ Stefan tells me but I seriously doubt it, emotionless vampires never follow any rules.

"This has gone much farther than I'm comfortable with Stefan. I can reluctantly accept the fact that Elena burned down her own house with her brother's body in it. But I can't accept the fact that she will attack people who don't deserve it. How do we even know if Elena compelled Bella to forget about the incident?"

"_Her name's Bella? Don't worry, I'll handle it." _I inwardly curse at my slip but know that I can't take it back. Stefan than hangs up on me and I quickly gather the supplies I need and head back to Bella's room. Hopefully Stefan can make Bella forget about Elena's attack on her, we really don't need any more attention than we already have.

**Stefan POV**

I hang up my cell phone and look across the quad where Elena is sitting with her cheerleader friends. Elena lifts her hand and waves tauntingly at me, having heard my entire conversation with Meredith. Now I know for sure that Elena did hurt the new girl Bella Swan. I saw her a few times in the hallways this morning but didn't see her in the afternoon only wasn't worried then.

I sigh and look down at my watch, it's only a little after two but I figure that I can skip the rest of the day. I head towards my car, get in and drive in the direction of Sheriff Forbes' house. There in the driveway is Caroline's car that she left behind before she went on her exchange. I was hoping that Bella would be home from the hospital by now and I guess I'm in luck.

I walk up the porch and knock on the door even though I've been invited in. Soft footsteps echo from inside the house and they slowly increase in volume the closer that Bella gets to the front door. She opens the door and leans against the door jam, "How can I help you?"

I give her a charming smile but she doesn't even react, "Actually, I think I can help you." Bella raises her eyebrows at that and I take a small step closer and allow my pupil to expand and contract. "You won't remember Elena attacking you at school today. You won't remember the real reason behind your injuries, you were attacked by an animal outside of your house. You then drove yourself to the hospital where you were fixed up."

I expect Bella's eyes to glaze over from the compulsion but instead her eyes sharpen as she glares at me. If looks could kill, I bet that I would be dead a hundred times over. Bella leans slightly forward but doesn't move out from the doorway's boundary. "You really expect me to just believe that lie you told me? I know exactly what happened and won't be forgetting it anytime soon. You can't just compel your problems away Stefan Salvatore."

My eyes widen in surprise, how does she know my name? I'm about ask her when she slams the door in my face and then walks back into the depths of the house.

I clench my jaw in irritation at my failure because now Bella knows at least two people are vampires for sure. I turn around and stalk off the porch and to my car where I peal out of the Forbes' driveway. I grab my phone, unlock it and dial the Sheriff's number.

Sheriff Forbes' answers with her usual greeting and I respond, "Liz, I'm sorry to say but we have a slight problem."

She sighs, _"A problem bigger than Elena burning down her own house with her dead brother inside? How can that be possible?"_ She says in a snarky tone but I don't respond.

"Your new guest, Bella Swan, was attacked by Elena today at school."

"_What?"_

"I know, Liz but I tried to compel her to forget about it but it didn't work. She's probably wearing vervain because she hasn't drunk the town water or Elena wouldn't have been able to drink her blood."

"_This is just great Stefan, just great."_

"That's why you're going to just watch Bella and try to figure out what she is wearing that could hold vervain in it. Then I'll try to take it off and compel her again."

"_Alright Stefan but you better know what you're doing." _Liz says and then hangs up on me as I continue my drive back to my house.

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**AN: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter so tell me what you think and I'll give you a sneak peak to the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who has already reviewed, I love hearing all your thoughts!**

**Also, their is a new Twilight/Vampire Diaries crossover contest that Ice Princess xX8088Xx is hosting. The website link is vampire - crossover - awards . blogspot . com (just remove all the spaces) so you can nominate your favorite stories or authors until September 14th and then vote from the 15th until the 28th.** **Go check it out!**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Oh my gosh! You readers are all amazing! I can't believe my story has reached over 200 reviews and the story's not even half way done! I'm so glad that you all like my story and hope you continue to review! This chapter is when we finally get a glimpse of our favorite person and a phone call from another. **

**Enjoy.**

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Ch. 19

The harsh morning light streams through the open curtains and I groan my dissatisfaction. I roll over and glance at my alarm clock to see it is a little after nine in the morning on this bright Saturday. I push myself out of bed, careful of my braced fingers and stumble into the bathroom to do my normal morning routine.

After I've showered and brushed my bed hair I pull out the first aid kit from under the sink and open it. I pull out some antiseptic wipes from their package and dab them around the slowly healing bite mark that Elena Gilbert gave me yesterday. It still looks like an angry red color but the scab has grown smaller already. The four broken fingers she also gave me still hurt a ton but I can ignore the pain.

I know I should call Elijah and tell him what happened but the moment I do, he's going to drop what he is doing and fly to my rescue. It's a nice thought but in reality, I don't want him to stop doing anything important because I can handle myself. Besides, apparently Elena's boyfriend Damon took her away to New York City for the next few days under the guise that she needed a break from the grief of her brother's passing. So I won't need to deal with Elena for at least another week or two, problem effectively put off.

I throw away the wipes and dry off the wound before putting on a medium sized bandage. The last few days have been very warm but with just a glance out the window, I can tell it will be very windy today. Thanks to the wind, I can wear a scarf to cover up the bandage and I won't look suspicious. The vampires in this town probably all know what Elena did to me by know and they probably know that I can't be compelled. I just hope that one of them won't look up my history and figure out how I know about vampires but from what Elijah and Kol told me, the Salvatore's don't seem like the type to do that. And besides, they had their hands full with an emotionless Elena.

I head out of the bathroom to change into some nice clothes and make myself a bottle of water with some vervain sprinkled in. I don't want another Elena incident. I then dash out the door to get to school, making sure not to trip over the porch step. The rest of the school day passes uneventfully except for the amazing news that was traveling the halls. Apparently Elena's boyfriend Damon decided she needed a break from the grief of her brother just passing away so he took her to New York City for the next few days. I smirked when I heard that because I know the real reason why she left. It wasn't because of her brother because right now she doesn't care about his death. Damon convinced her to leave because she bit me right at school and he knows enough to take her away before she reveals herself.

For the rest of the day my mood is greatly improved and I think that I may start to genuinely like this town, as long as I stay away from the whole supernatural mess. I climb into my car after school and pull out of the parking lot to head across town to the local library that I've been meaning to go to.

The library is all the way across town but it is a quick drive since everyone seems to be parked outside of the bar/restaurant called the 'Mystic Grill'. From all the stories that Elijah and Kol have told me I make a mental note to stop there for a burger after I grab a few history books from the library. I pull up in front of the two-story library and try to remember the last time I saw a local two-story library.

Nothing comes to mind but I climb out of my car, mindful of my braced fingers and head inside. The smell of old books immediately surrounds me and I relax from the good memories with my books. I take a glance around and know that there is no way that I'll be able to find what I'm looking for if I try to find it on my own. I walk to the front desk where a small old lady is scanning books into a computer.

"Hi," I say, "could you point me in the direction of the Mystic Falls history books?"

The woman looks up and gives me a big smile, "It's on the second floor and the third isle to your right. I'm glad some young people are still interested in our town's history, it seems that most of you young ones are only interested in computers and friends."

I nod, "Yes, but there are a few of us who still like to read about history. And thanks for the directions."

"You're welcome honey." The woman says as I climb the stairs up to the second floor and find the correct isle.

For the next thirty minutes I am submerged in all the books and information I could ever want. There are many books explaining a variety of things ranging from the plant life of Mystic Falls to the founding families. I grab a book that is more focused about the animal attacks in this town over one hundred years ago and another book about the possibility of a village settling in this area hundreds of years before the Founding families came here. I also grab a book about the recent history of this town and how the Founding families always seem to keep their authority in town, no matter the new additions to the town.

I stack the books precariously on top of each other, silently hoping that nothing will fall. Slowly and carefully I walk back downstairs and the librarian checks out the books quickly for me. The librarian, seeing that my fingers are braced and my arms are full, runs to the front door and holds it open for me.

"Thank you," I yell back over my shoulder as I fumble to open the passenger side door and put the books down on the seat. I shut the door firmly, walk around to the driver's side and get in. Driving mainly with my right hand, I navigate through Mystic Falls and park in front of the _Mystic Grill_. I turn off the car, grab a book from the top of the pile and leave the car.

I push open the door and immediately love the homey feeling of this restaurant/bar. The bar is up against one wall and there are many booths and tables all around the room. There is a stage in the far corner and a sign pointing out the bathrooms in the other corner. A few waiters and waitresses are walking around but it seems that this is the type of restaurant where you sit yourself and then they come and take your orders. As I start to head towards the bar side of the room I stop in my tracks and slowly turn around, my back facing the first person to try to compel me in this town.

I take in a shaky breath, my courage slipping through my fingers now that I'm not behind the safety of a house that I can control who enters or doesn't. I clench my eyes closed and walk on wooden legs to the other side of the restaurant and find a booth that is tucked into a corner. I duck into it, put my book on the table and try to make myself less noticeable.

Suddenly my phone starts ringing from my jacket pocket so I pull it out and answer it. "Hello?"

"_Bella? How are you doing?" _Elijah's tiny voice comes quietly through the phone and my confidence returns as I remember who I am connected to. No little Salvatore vampire could take on an Original and come out alive.

"I'm doing good actually, school has been boring but it's tolerable for a few more weeks."

"_That's good, just remember to enjoy your youth as much as possible." _

I roll my eyes. Sure I can enjoy my youth when I need to hide supernatural secrets from the rest of the world and worry about not being killed for the week. "Sure, I'll try to do that but no promises."

"_That's all I'm asking for. Now I need to get back to what I was previously doing but I will call later in the week to chat more." _Elijah promises and I smile. Happy that he still cares even when he is doing more important and probably time consuming things.

"Okay, goodbye then." I hang up the phone after he says good bye and put it back into my pocket.

A handsome blonde man dressed in a waiter uniform comes in my direction and I quickly glance at the menu on my table. I have decided on some food by the time he is standing next to my table and he says, "Hello, my name's Matt and I'll be your server tonight. What are you having?"

I rattle off my order and he smiles before turning and heading into the kitchen to drop off the order. I keep my eyes on the staff door and by the time he comes out again, he walks straight to where Stefan Salvatore is sitting beside a dirty-blonde haired male in a leather jacket. The dirty-blonde haired male is hunched over his drink but he still emanates an aura of power, even Stefan doesn't seem to want to prod at him too much. Matt says something to Stefan and Stefan looks directly at me. I duck back into my booth, my suspicions confirmed, Matt the server is the Matt Donovan that Elijah and Kol have told me about.

By the time my food is sitting on the table in front of me, my stomach is in knots and my lip is raw from me chewing on it from nerves. I keep thinking that Stefan will come over here, find my vervain necklace, rip it from my neck and then compel me to forget everything.

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**AN: Do you know who we caught a glimpse of? Tell me your thoughts in a review and I'll send you a sneak peak of the next chapter!**


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really do appreciate them and read every single one. **

**In this chapter we will finally see the man we've all been waiting for...**

**Enjoy!**

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Ch.20

After a while I relax and can enjoy my supper in the comforting thoughts that Stefan won't be coming over to bug me. If he hasn't yet, he won't. I finish my supper of a greasy burger, fries and a bottle of water and then open the book that I grabbed. This book is about the animal attacks that took place in the late 1800's, the early 1900's and how Samantha Gilbert went crazy.

I relax into the booth as I start the first chapter and am lost within a different time until someone sits in the seat across from me. My eyes look up from my book and I try to figure out what he could possibly want. From first glance he looks like a normal human but I suspicious of everyone in this town and try to figure out who he might be. He looks slightly familiar and one look at his leather jacket reminds me that he was the man talking to Stefan at the bar. My walls rise up immediately and I immediately don't trust him. I slowly put the book down on the table to give him my full attention.

The man has short light brown hair that has a slight curl to it and I have the sudden urge to run my fingers through it. I ignore that urge and take in his light blue eyes which seem to be smirking at me but underneath that, it looks that he is very saddened by something. My eyes drift from his own eyes to the slight scruff that covers his strong jaw line and the little uplift of one side of his mouth. Those lips taunt me in more than one way but I push those feelings down. How can I be attracted to him if he may be in cahoots with Stefan?

My eyes dart back to his own and I flush as I realize that this man just catch me blatantly checking him out. His smirk gets bigger and his blue eyes rake over my face for a few silent moments before leaning back against his side of the booth. "You must be the exchange student, Isabella right?" His voice is has a slight British accent to it and I can't help the shiver that runs down my spine. I push away the feeling, determined not to let the rough, drawling voice affect me.

I nod but keep my mouth shut, waiting for him to explain why he is here. The man puts his right arm on the top of the cushion, "How do you like Mystic Falls so far? Is it what you thought it would be?"

I purse my lips in thought even as the sound of his voice causes strange feelings in my stomach. Do I tell him the truth? That Mystic Falls makes me nervous with all the vampires who can come into my house but also excited about the history or should I be bold and dance my way around the truth?

"It's not what I was expecting in certain areas but I am glad that I came here." I say cryptically and the man's eyes narrow at my words. Does he know what I mean? His eyes lock onto my scarf that is still around my neck and I try desperately not to show my nerves but I can't help picking at the skin around my left thumb nail.

"What happened to your hand?" The man asks as he motions to my braced fingers.

I swallow but look him in the eyes, "I had an accident. I got my fingers caught in a doorway at school."

The man raises his eyebrows at my shaky voice and it causes my irritation to rise. Why am I being a wimp now? I was such a strong and stubborn person and now that I have a few vampires in this dangerous town knowing I know their secret, I'm afraid. I push down my fear and anxiousness and replace it with irritation towards all the vampires in this town, especially Elena Gilbert. I won't let myself be ruled in fear while I live here. I will stand up for myself and use my arsenal of knowledge as a weapon. "Yes, it may sound silly but it's the truth. You know, I told you my name but you haven't told me yours yet." I remind the man only for him to respond by smirking at me and my heart thuds loudly in response.

"My name is Niklaus Mikaelson but you, sweetheart, can call me Klaus." My body freezes at his name and my eyes close for a moment as I berate myself. How is it that the people that I find attractive or the ones that I am interested in are supernatural creates? My luck must truly suck if the man that I find so attractive is probably the most dangerous creature that has ever walked this earth besides Silas himself.

As my eyes open, I build a brick wall separating my feelings towards this man from my heart and self-preservation. Layer after layer is added and each layer gets stronger and thicker until I can barely feel the bubbling emotions beneath it. Distantly I wonder if the reason why he came over to talk to me was because he heard my phone call. He doesn't show any signs of knowing but then again, his face is like a mask tome.

"It's nice to meet you Klaus," I say and hold out my hand for him to shake. He grasps my hand firmly and my eyes widen as my hand almost disappears into his large hand. My eyes dart up to his face to see that he is watching me carefully before letting go of my hand.

"Likewise," he murmurs with his rough voice as his eyes drop to the book that is sitting on the table. "What are you reading, Isabella?"

I glance at the book title and then back at him. Does he know that I know about the vampires in this town? He probably does if he was talking to Stefan before but I'm not going to show him that I know about supernaturals. I shrug, "It's a book about the history of Mystic Falls, I want to learn more about this town."

"Why?" Klaus asks, seemingly genuinely interested.

"I really love culture and the history of things, whether it is objects or towns or people. That was actually one of the reasons I decided to do an exchange, I wanted to really know if I can make a living out of understanding culture and history or if it is just a hobby."

Klaus' eyes light up at my words and he leans forward slightly, letting the arm resting on the back of the cushion fall to his side. "Have you figured it out yet?"

I shake my head, my necklace slipping out from under the scarf. "No, but I hope to while I stay here."

Klaus' eyes lock onto the necklace that Elijah gave me in Forks which is filled with vervain. I grab the locket and move to tuck it back into a fold in my scarf but Klaus grabs my wrist.

I glance at him sharply and try to pull out of his hold but he increases pressure on my wrist. It is my injured hand so I am able to use my good hand and pry his finger from my wrist.

He lets his hand drop, "That's a lovely necklace you have, sweetheart. Would you mind if I take a closer look?" He says it almost as if the last few seconds haven't even occurred.

I've started consuming vervain to stay uncompelled in this town, knowing that some vampire may try to compel me or take a bite out of me. I'll have to make more jewelry with it so I have backups just in case my necklace is taken.

I glare at him and lean as far back as possible in the booth, "Yes I do mind. You can't just take things that don't belong to you, especially without permission."

Klaus smirks at me indulgently and it only causes my irritation to increase. "Obviously you don't know me at all but that's acceptable since you just met me."

The words slip from my mouth before I can think to stop them, "I know exactly who and what you are and that still shouldn't let you take what you want without consequence."

Klaus' smirk slips from his face as he looks at me seriously. I keep my chin up and don't back down even as he raises one perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me. "You're awfully bold for a human."

"I've heard that before and I know that the only reason you came to talk to me is to compel me to forget about the vampire activity I have seen in this town. That's not going to happen any time soon, especially if I can prevent it."

Klaus smirks again, "You can't go up against a town full of vampires and expect to win."

I raise an eyebrow and smile, "Really? How many vampires have already shown themselves to me just in order to try to compel me forget what Elena did to me? Not to mention all the stories that I've heard about this town."

Klaus puts his arms on the table top and leans forward, "Now where have you heard these… stories."

I shake my head, "I can't tell you that, I'd lose everything mysterious about me." I glance down at my phone and realize that it has gotten really late. I look back at Klaus and say, "I must be going now but maybe we'll cross paths again in the future."

I grab my book off the table and slide out from my booth. I walk with my head held high the entire time I leave the restaurant, proud that I didn't back down.

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**AN: So how does my Klaus fit with the Klaus of TVD? Tell me in a review and I'll send you a sneak peak of the next chapter!**


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: Thanks for everyone that reviewed the last chapter! Dark-Supernatural-Angel pointed out to me last night that the sneak peaks I was sending out were the exact same I sent out for the previous chapter. Oops. So, sorry about that and I will correct that for anyone who reviews this chapter. **

**Enjoy!**

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Ch.21

I slam my locker shut and walk out of the school, determined to just get home and relax. All week it's been one problem after another. First the Elena issue, then the Klaus issue, then on Wednesday someone dropped their books on my cracked fingers which hurt, a lot.

Later that same night I had gone to the grocery store to get some more fruit when I saw Klaus in the other isle. I pretended I didn't see him but I know that he saw me because he followed me into my isle and took the apple that I had picked from my hands. When I protested and tried to get it back, Klaus smirked and hid it behind his back. I told him that it wasn't funny and he should just leave me alone but he didn't back down.

Klaus replied, "But it's so fun to make you irritated."

"Well, I don't like it so give me back my apple and leave me alone." I had responded.

Klaus simply smirked and his eyes had raked down my body causing shivers to run up and down my spine. "You're looking very lovely today Isabella. Quite delicious." His eyes locked onto my throat and the message was sent loud and clear.

"It's Bella, and the only time you'll ever drink from me is in your dreams," I said through gritted teeth.

Klaus' smirk widened and said, "Is that your way of saying that you want me to dream of you?"

I gave him an incredulous look, grabbed another apple at random and walked to the till.

After that confrontation I thought that I would be Klaus free for a few days but then I saw him drive by my house a few times that same night. My irritation with him just keeps growing each time I see him. I mean, he doesn't have to be watching me so closely! From what I've heard about this town, anytime someone so much as sneezes everyone automatically knows about it. It's not like I could tell someone about vampires and Klaus not figure it out for a week.

Yesterday I saw Stefan in watching me from the Grill when I went to return a book to the library but I ignored him. Thankfully I haven't seen Klaus or Stefan yet today and since it's the weekend tomorrow, hopefully I won't see anymore vampires.

I climb into my car and peel out of the parking lot, determined to get away from all the nonsense. After a few minutes of driving I start to turn towards my house when I realize that neither Liz nor I have picked up any substantial food in a few days. Groaning, I head towards the Grill, determined to place a takeout order and leave before any vampires that like to frequent that spot try to talk to me.

After parking my car, and ordering my food, I go and grab a pool stick. I set up the pool balls at an open table before breaking and then I glance around the Grill. I don't see any vampires and I let out a sigh of relief. I walk around the table and keep knocking the balls into the pockets consistently until I notice something out of the corner of my eye and I scratch.

I curse softly under my breath and slowly turn my head and my eyes lock with deep-soul searching blue ones. Even though I've only seen those eyes a handful of times, I know immediately who it is. With an aggravated sigh, I turn back to my game, determined not to let him push my buttons. But even without looking at him, I can tell he is still watching me from the intense burning at the back of my neck.

I take in a shaky breath and push down the unease that is building in my stomach. How does this man evoke such emotions from me without even saying a word? After a few more minutes with the same burning sensation at the back of my neck, my irritation rises. Why is he still watching me? I'm not even doing anything remotely interesting for Christ's sake.

I place the pool stick firmly on the table top, clench my teeth together and spin on my heel. I march towards Klaus and I watch as one corner of his mouth tilts up. Even though it is sexy as hell, I ignore the electric sizzle that runs down my spine.

I stop two feet in front of Klaus and glare all my irritation from the past few days at him. A waiter comes out from the back and drops off my food on the bar's ledge and I thank him. After he leaves, I glance over my shoulder to see if anyone's watching but they aren't so I slap my hand down onto the bar ledge. "I don't need a babysitter, Klaus."

"Is that you think I'm doing?" He asks with a smirk.

I raise an eyebrow at him, "You can't deny it, I've seen you all over town ever since I met you on Tuesday."

Klaus' smirk grows wider, "Are you sure it wasn't the other way around?"

I bite my tongue and let out a frustrated puff of air. "Look, you and the other vampires in this town don't need to worry about me spilling your secret. Unlike some people in this town, I know how to keep a secret to the grave."

"You must have some experience in keeping these types of secrets then." Klaus leans forward in his seat until his mouth is near my right ear. I freeze in place, the air caught in the middle of my throat.

His breath is warm on my ear and neck and he whispers, "Do you have some other vampire friends? Or maybe you're more of a wolf girl?"

My heart races in my chest as I start to stutter, "Um, no- I. I mean…, I-I. I have to go."

I grab my food and turn to go before I can make an even bigger fool of myself. As I take a step away from the bar though, a warm hand grabs my right wrist and yanks me back to him. I stumble over my own feet and accidently collide with his body.

I feel like I've just been electrocuted as the current flows throughout my veins and body. I gasp in shock and take in the alluring scent of _him._ It's musky from the slight amount of cologne he is wearing but also dark and dangerous, if that's even possible. Realizing that I just smelt one of the most dangerous beings on the planet, I take a quick step back. I try to pull my wrist from his grasp but no matter how many times I pull, Klaus doesn't let go.

I look up, ready to demand he let me go when the words die on my lips. The blue of his eyes seems even more unreal this close, they look the still water on a clear lake or ocean. From the last few times I've seen Klaus, his eyes have been cold and unfeeling but now they are alive with feeling and I can't help but think that maybe I caused it. I can the surprise and curiosity in the depth of his eyes and hidden beneath all the layers is something dark and prominent. Maybe it's the dangerous part inside of him? Or maybe the adrenaline rush I'm feeling is making me see things.

Klaus looks down at the wrist he is grasping and slowly opens his fingers. I try to shake the feeling off the reaction to his skin touching mine but it doesn't work. The electricity is coursing through my veins travelling from the tips of my toes to the crown of my head. I wouldn't be surprised if my hair is starting to stick up from the electricity. Klaus brings his right hand up next to his other hand and slowly traces the bite mark scar that is visible to anyone who looks hard enough.

My eyes dart frantically up to his, hoping that he won't know what caused it but knowing deep down that my hopes are futile. His eyes slowly raise and lock onto my desperate ones. He knows. The thought flashes through my brain and I yank my arm from his hold before bolting outside with my food.

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**AN: What do you think? Tell me in a review and I'll send you a sneak peak of chapter 22!**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Enjoy!**

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Ch.22

The cold air feels good on my flushed skin as I practically jog towards my car. If I can get to my car, I can get out of here and away from the questions that I'm sure are to come. I get to my car and yank on the handle only to realize that the car is locked, I groan in frustration.

"Bella!" Klaus calls from behind me, "You know that running away from me only increases the challenge."

I grind my teeth together knowing that I can't get away from the questions anymore. Putting on my best indifferent mask I turn around only to see Klaus a foot from me. I jump, startled, trip over my own feet and fall against my car. Thankfully I didn't drop the food but just in case of anymore accidents, I put it on the ground.

Klaus reaches out and grips my elbow to steady me, his stunning eyes soft with concern. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

The concern stuns me more than his instant appearance and I stutter out, "Y-yeah. Actually no, I'm not okay. But I would be okay if you and all the other vampires in this town would stop watching me like a hawk. I just want to be left alone."

Klaus pulls his hand away from my arm and the chill that replaces it is reluctantly unwelcome. Why do I have such instinctive feelings about someone I just met? Someone who has torn apart more families and ruined more lives than I can count.

"I think that the real reason you want to be left alone is because you've been hurt in the past. You don't want that to happen again so you push people away and close yourself off in order to selfishly protect yourself." Klaus says.

"I'm not selfish. I do that so that no other innocents get pulled into this dangerous world. No one deserves to be left alone with all this knowledge with no way to fend for themselves." The words pour from my mouth but I can't find it in me to regret them.

Klaus smirks, "That's right, you know secrets. Tell me, Bella, does it eat at you to keep secrets that aren't you? To resist the urge to tell people that you trust simply because you don't want to endanger them?"

The words hit deep in my gut, explaining all my worries and fears that I've never been able to voice. "I may not like keeping so many secrets but I'd rather be a liar than condemn people to a life hiding from dangerous creatures like you."

There is a flash of hurt that passes over Klaus' face but I would've missed it had I blinked. His face hardens as the mask slips back over it.

Klaus takes a step closer and I'm backed right against my car with nowhere to go, "Come on Bella, take a chance and tell me about it. I can't get hurt from what you're hiding. How else are you going to see that dangerous creatures aren't that bad if you don't try to trust occasionally?"

I close my eyes and shake my head 'no'. If I start telling Klaus one truth, I don't think that I will be able to stop the rest from spilling out.

A deep, throaty laugh escapes from Klaus and he leans down so that his mouth is next to my ear. His warm breath caresses my neck and ear and effectively stops my thought process. "I admire that about you."

"What?" The word escapes as breathy and choked but I can't seem to care too much.

"Your loyalty to your word." Klaus whispers before leaning back out of my personal space. "How about you tell me about you Cold One bite over a drink?"

I shake my head quickly and he bargains, "Trust me Bella. If I haven't hurt you yet, I won't hurt you later."

My logical side agrees with what he says but I've heard many stories from Elijah and Kol about Klaus' famous temper. My common sense goes flying out the window though when he gives me a gentle and real smile.

My head automatically starts nodding consent without my conscious realization. Too late now, I guess. "Fine, but we are going to my house; I still need to eat dinner." I grab my keys from my back pocket, unlock my car, grab my food and put it in the back before I can forget about it. I climb in and turn the car on before motioning to Klaus to get in the car. Once he's sitting in his seat, I pull out of the parking lot and drive back to Liz's, all the while hoping that I'm making a good decision.

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Once inside Liz's house, I flip on the lights in the living room and kitchen. I place the food on the coffee table in the living room before turning back to Klaus who is standing just inside the doorway.

I look at him suspiciously, "I thought that your kind of vampires needed to be invited inside."

Klaus shrugs and leans back against the door, "How do you know that I haven't been invited in before?"

I nod my head, "I guess that is true." I head into the kitchen and call out to him, "What would you like to drink?"

Klaus' voice comes from right behind me, "Some scotch would be nice." I jump and turn to see that he is only inches away from me.

I swallow hard and nod, trying to hide my nerves. "Okay, you go and wait in the living room while I make us the drinks."

Klaus nods and slowly backs up before walking into the living room. Quickly I find a bottle of scotch in Liz's alcohol cabinet, pour Klaus a generous glass and then grab myself a bottle of water from the fridge.

I take the glass and the water bottle into the living room and sit down on the couch beside Klaus. "Here you go," I say and hand him his drink.

"Thank you, Bella." He takes the drink from me and takes a sip before placing it on the coffee table.

I grab the bag of take-out food and rip it open to get the two containers out. I take one for myself and am about to go and put the second one in the fridge when I take a second look at Klaus. He may be a big, scary hybrid but he still needs to eat food. "Would you like some food?" I ask him and as he looks at me, his eyes soften.

"That sounds very nice." He responds and gently takes the food from me.

While we both eat our food it is silent and I don't feel nervous or awkward anymore. Once I got over the thought of being alone with a powerful hybrid, dinner was actually relaxing. We may not have spoken but just having each other's company was good enough instead.

I take our containers and put them in the garbage after we have both finished eating and fill his glass with more scotch.

"Are you going to tell me why you didn't give yourself any scotch?" Klaus asks, looking pointedly at my half-filled bottle of water.

I shrug my shoulders, "I guess I just never grew up like a normal teenager. I never wanted to go out and get drunk or to party my weekends away. I always had to be the responsible one while growing up and now that I know all these secrets, I don't want to accidently spill them. I would deeply regret it if the one night that I get drunk, I lose control over my thoughts and blab all the secrets that I know."

I look down at my hands and inspect my bitten finger nails. "It's stupid, I know." I laugh lightly to try to lighten the mood and Klaus continues to be silent.

Klaus shakes his head, "No, it's not. It's actually really smart and responsible of you." Klaus turns to face me more on the small couch and our knees bump against each other. "You should tell me about your Cold One bite now."

My eyes narrow at his demand that is masked in a polite voice. "Only if you agree not to boss me around anymore, I can make my own decisions in this life."

Klaus presses his lips into a hard line but nods his head. I nod and decide to go with the short version of my story. "I was living with my dad when I met a boy, Edward, and found out that both he and his entire family were Cold Ones. I started dating him and one night while I was watching his family play baseball a group of nomads stopped in. One in particular, James, was a hunter and wanted me as his prize but my boyfriend wouldn't have that so I ran from the hunter with Edward's brother and sister to Phoenix. James called me and pretended that he had my mom so I went to him to surrender only to find out that my mom was safe in Jacksonville. James beat me up and then eventually he started to drink from me only for Edward to interrupt. Edward's family also came in and James was killed but I was changing into one of them so Edward sucked all the venom out of my system before it was too late. Then a few months later, Edward's brother attacked me when I hurt myself and then Edward broke up with me. The entire family left and I haven't seen them since."

Klaus raises his eyebrows at that last sentence, "Do you think they are worried that you may spill their secret?"

I smirk, "Like I just did?" I let out a small laugh, "No, probably not because they believe that little Bella Swan is too good of a person to ever betray old friends. Even if they left without even a goodbye." I say bitterly.

Klaus studies me and comments, "Still bitter, I see."

I shake my head, "Not as much as I once was." I look up at the clock on the far wall and notice that it is after ten and Liz is still not back. She must have lots of stuff to get through.

Klaus also looks up at the clock and says, "I really enjoyed this Bella, perhaps we can do this again sometime soon?"

Klaus' bright blue eyes burn into me like blue fire and even though I have been told all these bad things about Klaus, I can't find it in me to be scared of him. Sure he is persistent and is dangerous but so far, he hasn't done anything lately that would prohibit me from giving him my trust. He hasn't tried to take my necklace and compel me to forget about vampires in the last few days, even though he has had multiple chances and I am only human. "Yes, that would be nice. I trust you Klaus and my trust is hard to earn so don't make me regret giving it to you."

Klaus smiles at me, "I wouldn't dream of it, Bella. I'll see you later." He says and lets himself out of the house.

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**AN: So... how'd you like the chapter? Tell me in a review what you thought and I'll send you a sneak peak to the next chapter!**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: Sorry guys! I had this chapter all uploaded and ready to go but I guess I didn't post it. Oops :/ So, anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed my story! It's almost at three hundred, a personal best for me! So, please can we try and make it there on this chapter?**

**Enjoy.**

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Ch.23

**Pennsylvania, U.S.A.**

**Elijah POV**

Katherine opens up her bag and takes out what appears to be a ring box. "You have the Cure," I say and she nods.

"And I can shove this down Klaus' throat and try to kill him but even if I manage to do that, I'll lose you. I don't want that to happen."

"How do I know this isn't another lie?" I ask Katherine even though I'm almost positive that it is. Katherine Pierce doesn't change and she doesn't truly love. I know that now and even though Katherine has the Cure, I won't fake my feelings for her. I won't be like her and take advantage of her and I'll tell her that right away. "Katherine Pierce, deceiving yet another man, it's the perfect ploy. I'm not falling for it anymore."

She takes my right hand and presses the box into it and curls my fingers over it. "But I meant what I said before Elijah, about my feelings. And I hope that you have those same feelings too."

Katherine looks up at me and even though I know that it's possible I'll lose the Cure, I need to be honest. "I don't feel the same Katherine and I won't ever feel anything romantic for you."

Katherine flinches and starts to become angry before holding it in and faking a devastated look. "Fine, then I guess this is goodbye." Katherine rips the Cure from my hands and blurs off into the night.

I start to follow her automatically but then I stop in my tracks. If Katherine really wants her freedom, she will find another way to do it, she will come back to us. I turn around on the sidewalk and go to the nearest bench to sit down, even though I don't really need it.

I pull out my cell phone and call Bella's cell and it rings continuously before going to her answering machine. _"Hey, this is Bella. Sorry I missed your call but if you leave your name and number I'll get back to you as soon as possible!"_

I debate leaving her a message but then decide not to and hang up. The next person I call is Charlie and he answers their house phone after only a few rings. _"Hello?"_

"Charlie, it's Elijah. How are you doing?" I ask and am truly interested because he is a friend and I don't have too many of those anymore.

"_I'm doing fine, work's been really quiet lately but I'm not complaining. Oh, the school found a new teacher finally but I guess she's a nasty one from what I've heard."_

"That's good about your work, sometimes it's nice to not be busy. Is Bella there, I'd like to talk to her?"

_Actually Bella's been gone for a few days now. I'm really missing her but it's been good with the exchange student." _My eyebrows lift, I didn't know Bella already went on her exchange. I wonder why she didn't call and tell me.

"Bella is already on the exchange? Where did she end up going?" I ask, thinking maybe I'll stop in and say hello. Just to make sure that she's okay and things are going good.

I can hear Charlie scratching his mustache over the phone which he does when he's thinking. _"You know, I don't remember what the town's name is. Huh, maybe my memory is going."_

I roll my eyes, "I doubt it Charlie, you just have been busy lately and it's slipped the memory. I'll call her again later to see how she is doing." I start to say more but see Rebekah driving up the road and parking across the street from me. Knowing that she will be listening in at any moment, I say goodbye to Charlie. "Uh, Charlie something's just come up and I have to let you go but I'll call you again soon okay? Goodbye."

"_Goodbye Elijah, I'll talk to you again later."_

I hang up before he can answer and quickly pocket my phone. Rebekah gets out of the driver's side door and I stand up and walk across the road towards her.

Rebekah smirks at me and says, "You started to fall for Katherine? And I thought you were the smart brother?"

A flicker of irritation starts to burn in me but I ignore it. "You don't have a smart brother, Rebekah. Turns out I'm just as stupid and naïve as the rest of you, that's just how it is."

Rebekah rolls her eyes, "Did you get the Cure?"

I ignore her question as I stare into her eyes, seeing the obvious desire for the thought of the Cure. "Why do you want the Cure?"

Rebekah doesn't hesitate, "I want to be human again, Elijah." She says it so surely that part of me is glad that I don't have the Cure anymore or I'm not sure what she'd do to me in order to obtain it.

"How do you know that being human is what you are looking for? What if you become human and then decide that you no longer desire it?" I ask her and she shrugs.

"Then that will be my mistake but I know that I want to be human again. I've wanted to be human again for a long time brother. I will live simply and when it is my time to die, I will let it happen. We've had twenty lifetimes together on this Earth, I think that is enough."

"But I don't understand why you keep thinking that our family is a burden. Don't you remember what we said when we first became vampires? Always and forever. Those words are just as important to me know as they were then, aren't they important to you?" I ask her, trying to see her point but failing.

Rebekah's eyes start to mist over and she blinks rapidly, "You will always be my brother and I will always love you. But I want to chose how I'm going to live my life now, not you or Nick or anyone. Please just give me the Cure."

I shake my head slowly, "I don't have it."

My words have barely escaped into the air around us before Rebekah's phone starts ringing. She quickly takes it out of her pocket and answers. "What do you want Nick?"

I can hear Klaus' voice through the phone's tiny speakers. _"An update on our little search for the Cure. Do you have it?"_

Rebekah struggles for words for a moment, "Let's just say that things are complicated for the moment. In fact, why don't you speak to one of the main complications." Rebekah shoves the phone at me before turning around and getting into the passenger's side of the car.

I slowly lift the phone to my ear, "Main complication speaking." I say and head to the driver's side door.

Klaus' laugh echoes over the phone. _"Big brother, last to join the hunt."_

I ignore his quip and send one back to him as I climb into the car, "Well someone had to take charge, Niklaus."

"_And how has that worked?" _Klaus asks after a moment of silence.

"Not well, I'm afraid that Katherine took off with the Cure. But I'm sure that she will do something to get your attention soon. Especially since she isn't too far from us."

"_Come home brother, and we will settle this like a family." _Klaus says in a dangerous tone but I know that he wouldn't try anything. He wants us to be a family too much.

"Goodbye Klaus." I say and hang up the phone before passing it to Rebekah. I start the engine and pull out of the parking spot, ready to head back to my home.

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**AN: Tell me what you think in a review and I'll send you a sneak peak of the next chapter!**


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: We reached 300 reviews! Yay! I was sooo happy becuase this is the highest amount of reviews I've ever had for a story! Thank you so much to everyone who reviews and reads this story, I appreciate it.**

**This takes place the morning after Elijah and Katherine have their talk. But some parts of the American Gothic episode will happen within the next 4-5 chapters. If you have any questions PM me and I'll explain them.**

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Ch.24

The light trickles into my room from the gap between my blinds but that isn't what woke me from a deep sleep. No, what woke me is the incessant ringing from the doorbell. My heart races at the thought that it might be Klaus at the door before dismissing that thought as impossible. I contemplate ignoring the bell completely and pretending that nobody is home but I have a feeling that whoever is at the door is persistent.

Groaning, I roll out of bed and pull my hair into a messy, frizzy bun at the top of my head as I walk to the door. With a quick glance at the clock in the living room, I notice that it isn't quite nine in the morning yet and Liz has already left for work.

The blinds are pulled shut on the window on the door so I can't see who is on the other side until I open the door. I pull open the door and my jaw almost hits the floor when I see that Elena is on the other side.

"Um, you do know that Caroline doesn't live here anymore, right?" I ask her because surely she isn't here to see me. Unless she is here to apologize for attacking me but that doesn't seem likely.

Elena smiles sheepishly at me, "I know what this looks like but I just wanted to come and apologize to you. I know what I did was wrong and you didn't deserve it, especially on your first day. I was hoping that one day we could even be friends."

My eyes narrow suspiciously because the Elena that I met isn't one to apologize. "Thank you for your apology but I don't think we could ever be friends."

Elena looks down at her feet and says, "Yeah, I thought you might say that but please, just come outside and hear me out." Elena looks up at me with an encouraging smile but I can't shake the feeling of unease.

I shake my head from left to right, "No, I'm good right here."

Elena sighs, "Okay, I guess you can't trust me. But I swear to you that I really am sorry and that Damon and Stefan have made me realize how horrible I was to you. How about I make it up to you over breakfast?"

Reluctantly I nod my head, knowing that she won't' leave unless I agree with her. "Just let me put on a sweater," I say and I quickly pull a sweater from the nearby closet over my head and step outside.

"Thank you so much Bella," Elena says and her grin slowly turns wicked. The last thing I remember is her hand in my hair and my head connecting with the wall of the house before darkness consumes me.

LINEBREAK

My eyes flutter slowly open and it takes me a moment to remember why I'm not in my bed anymore and why my head is pounding. I whimper from the pain in my head and try to touch my head. I can't, instead my wrists are tied to each other and my arms are stretched above me by a tight rope. I'm hanging from my arms and my toes just brush against the floor but that doesn't help slacken the stress in my shoulders and arms.

There is just a bright light hanging from the roof of this bare room and that is it. No chairs or decorations or even a window for me to escape from. I remember talking to Elena before she knocked me out but I don't know where she could've taken me.

A door opens behind me and a pair of heels click across the hardwood floor until Elena is standing in front of me. She grins wickedly at me, "Morning sleepy head."

I glare down at her and try to rip free only to groan in pain. My wrists are raw from the unforgiving rope and I can feel a trickle of blood slowly drip down my forearm. At least my cracked fingers are being spared; I don't want to hurt them more since I can get the brace off soon. "Let me go," I snarl, trying to sound in control.

She shakes her head, "Not until you listen to me and do as I say."

"Elena, you must be really crazy if you think that I'm going to do anything for you."

"I'm not Elena," Elena says and my eyes widen in comprehension. Katherine pushes my shoulder and I sway back and forth from my arms. I cry out in pain and take deep breathes to ignore the pull on my shoulders and arms.

When I stop swaying, Katherine smiles at me. "Now that I have your full attention, I want you to deliver a message to Klaus for me."

"And if I don't?" The words slip from my mouth and I regret them instantly. Katherine reaches above my head and grabs my left pointer finger and slowly bends it backward until it is almost at its breaking point. I whimper from the pain and nod quickly to get her to stop.

Katherine lets go of my finger, grabs me by the shoulders and leans in until her mouth is beside my ear. She hisses menacingly, "Then I will kill not just you but also your mother, step-father, and your father before you can even try to say sorry." Katherine back hands me and it sends me swaying again.

Katherine leans back and smirks at my swinging form, waiting for my answer. Slowly I stop moving and I glare at her feet. I bite my lip, angry that I have no choice unless I want to kill my entire family. I nod reluctantly, "What is the message?"

"I want you to tell him that if he wants the Cure then he will leave me alone for the rest of my life or he will never see the Cure again." My eyes widen slightly but I hide it by looking down at my feet. I can't believe that Katherine has the Cure, who knows what she may do with it. If I know anything about the Mystic Falls gang from Elijah and Kol's stories then I know that they are hunting her down right now. They are also probably fighting over who is more worthy to take the Cure and haven't realized that Katherine is back in Mystic Falls yet.

I nod my head and say, "I'll tell him as soon as you let me go."

Katherine shakes her head, "Ah ah ah. You have 24 hours to deliver the message and to get a response to me or you are as good as dead. Deal?"

I glare at her and reluctantly agree to her terms. Katherine smirks at me before back handing me once again, hard enough that I black out.

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As I come back to the conscious world, I notice that I am lying on Liz's cold, hard deck. I sit up quickly and I'm momentarily dizzy from the fast movement. I look around me to see that it is later in the day and go inside the house to see exactly what time it is. If Katherine only is giving me 24 hours to talk to Klaus and deliver the message, I need to know how much time I have left. The clock on the stove says that it is just after one in the afternoon and after I wipe the dried blood from my wrists, I grab my keys and hop into my car.

I drive around town, trying to find Klaus walking around but I can't see him anywhere. I finally pull into the Grill's parking lot and dash inside. I look around frantically, scanning the people sitting at the bar and the people sitting in the booths. There are a few blonde haired men but none of them are Klaus and I bite my lip in frustration. How can one hybrid be so hard to find?

I race back outside, not caring about bumping into people right now. I just need to find Klaus now before something happens.

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**AN: Tell me what you think in a review and I'll send you a sneak peak.**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or alerted this story! I love each time my email beeps with a new notification. :) **

**Enjoy!**

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Ch.25

I fumble as I pull my phone out of my back jeans pocket and my fingers shake so badly that I click the wrong contact three times before finally clicking Charlie's name. I hold the phone up to my ear, heart racing in my chest and I'm praying that nothing has happened to him.

I stand ear my car but keep turning around and around, looking frantically for any sign of Klaus. Charlie answers the phone with a gruff, "Hello?"

My knees start to buckle with the relief but I lock them before I can fall. "Dad, are you okay?" I ask quickly.

"Bells? Yes but why do you sound funny kiddo? Are you okay? Bella, tell me that you are okay, please."

I swallow hard and ignore the tingling pain in my shoulders and wrists. "I'm fine dad, I was just worried about you."

Charlie exhales heavily over the phone, "I'm fine Bells. Now tell me, why are you worried about your old man?"

I shake my head and lean back against my car. Even if Charlie is fine now, he can still be hurt later and I have to find Klaus quickly before that can happen. "I just had a nightmare but I have to go now dad. Lots of homework, you know?"

"I understand Bells but call me again soon, okay sweetheart? I love you." Charlie says and I feel myself relax even more from his words. Knowing that he is okay and loves me makes my nerves about him hating me for putting myself in danger just fade away."

"I love you too dad, I'll talk to you later." I say and hang up only to immediately search my contacts for Klaus' phone number.

I go through all my contacts twice before I realize that I don't have his number. The only way I ever spoke to him was when I bumped into him around town. I groan angrily in frustration and take a moment to just think everything through.

If I can't find Klaus in the next four hours then I will have to resort to desperate measures and call Elijah. I didn't want to involve him because I thought that I could handle everything on my own but I can't keep a six hundred-year-old vampire from killing my family because I'm just human. Elijah would be able to get a hold of Klaus and get him to help me. Even if Klaus still won't help, Elijah could always threaten Katherine himself.

Now that I have a plan other than just running around like a chicken with its head cut off, I feel better and not as caged in. I hurry to climb into my car, pull out of the Grill's parking lot and start to drive systematically through town. First I drive do all the streets that run east to west and after that, I start to drive down all the roads that run north to south.

It's on one of these north to south streets that I catch sight of a familiar blonde head walking in the town square from my rear view mirror. I cut a completely illegal U-turn and race to park against the sidewalk. I scramble out of my car and sprint after him. Thankfully Klaus is moving at a human pace so I can catch up to him but I still call out his name, "Klaus!"

Klaus stops and turns to me just as I am within feet of him. I slide to a halt and start to fall on my butt but Klaus grabs me by the elbow. He steadies me and looks into my eyes deeply as I catch my breath.

"What's wrong Bella? Did something happen?" He asks and I nod frantically.

"Katherine, she-" I manage to get out but Klaus cuts me off.

"Katherine is here? Where is she? What does she want?" Klaus says and looks around, as if Katherine would be watching us. But of course she wouldn't, not when she can possibly get her freedom.

I shake my head, "Katherine is not here at this moment. She kidnapped me this morning and threatened my families' lives if I didn't give you a message."

"What's the message then?" Klaus asks me calmly while I'm a panicked mess because my families' lives are on the line.

"What type of Cure would be so important for Katherine to threaten my parents' lives Klaus?" I ask angrily even though I know exactly what the Cure is for. I don't want him to know that yet and besides, I am angry that Katherine is using my love for my family to get what she wants.

Klaus looks at me in silence and I wait patiently for a few moments until the anxiousness gets the best of me. "Klaus, answer me! What is so important that she has to kidnap and threaten a human just to deliver a message to you?" I shove his shoulders angrily but he is stone and doesn't move.

I take a step back and a deep breath to calm my temper before saying quietly, "Why didn't you try harder to compel me?" I ask, but it isn't just directed towards him. I also direct it to Elijah and Kol in my thoughts, if Elijah had compelled me to forget about Kol and the entire vampire thing I would've never gotten involved with the supernatural. If I would've forgotten the supernatural I wouldn't have taunted Stefan and wouldn't have had Klaus following me which would've made Katherine find a different way to give Klaus his stupid message.

"If I hadn't done this stupid exchange my life would've been more normal than it is now. I wouldn't have been attacked by a crazy new vampire with her emotions shut off, I wouldn't have gotten the attention of an Original and my family would still be relatively safe." I mutter to myself, not realizing that Klaus has been listening.

"But if you hadn't done the exchange, you would never have tried for your dreams and would never do anything that you truly want." Klaus says, somehow knowing exactly how I feel without me saying anything.

I narrow my eyes at him, "What good is having your dreams when you have no family to share it with?" Klaus flinches at my words and I'm confused for a moment until I rethink what I said. I guess Klaus could take my words as a jab against his family situation but I didn't mean it like that.

"I-I didn't mean for that to sound like it did," I try to hastily explain but Klaus has moved onto a different subject.

"What message did Katherine want you to deliver me?" Klaus asks as he folds his hands behind his back and looks at me in a composed manner.

I sigh and rake the fingers of my good hand through my hair and am about to speak when Klaus' hand darts out and grabs my forearm. I glance down at his fingers and then up to his eyes which are locked onto the red and raw skin around my wrist that has finally stopped bleeding. "Did Katherine do this?" Klaus asks in a low and dangerous tone that causes shivers to run down my spine.

I nod and Klaus clenches his jaw and says firmly, "She will die before the week is up."

"Uh…" I halt his train of thought, knowing that he should know what Katherine wants in return for the Cure before he decides to kill her. "That will be a problem. You see, Katherine said that if you want the Cure then you will leave her alone for the rest of her life or you will never see it again."

Klaus gives a dark chuckle, "And why would she think that once I have the Cure, I won't continue to hunt her down?"

I shrug my shoulders, "I don't know, maybe she is hopping for your word or just thinks that you will feel generous."

Klaus rolls his ice blue eyes, "Then she must be forgetting a few important points in her old age. How did she even get close enough to talk to you?"

I sigh and reluctantly explain, "She pretended to be Elena and was apologizing for her behavior when she knocked me out and kidnapped me. I was just released about an hour ago."

My eyes widen as I realize that an hour of my precious time has already been used up, probably more. I take in a deep breath but it doesn't ease the sudden pressure that seems to be squeezing my lungs. I press one hand to my chest and try to rub the pressure away.

"Bella? Are you okay?" Klaus asks, his blue eyes wide in concern and he takes a step closer to me. I can't answer him because my throat is closing up and all the air that was in my lungs has suddenly disappeared.

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**AN: Cliffy! Tell me what you think in a review and I'll send you a sneak peak!**


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! We are officially past 350 reviews - maybe we can get to 400? :) **

**Enjoy!**

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Ch.26

Klaus grips my shoulders and forces me to look him in the eye, "Bella, talk to me."

I take in a shuttering breath, "How am I going to deliver your answer to Katherine if I don't know where she is?" I manage to slowly croak out and then everything spills out. "I'm screwed; it's over for my family. It's like she deliberately set up our meeting so that I didn't know how to find her or even to contact her."

Klaus just stands there and seems to wait for me to calm down but I just keep working myself up. I can hear my heart beat in my ears and suddenly it feels like the world is closing in on me.

"Whoa, okay, you're okay Bella. Just sit down and take nice deep breaths," I can hear Klaus' voice as if from the other end of a long tunnel and I can feel myself sit down on a nearby bench. My eyes are still locked on Klaus' and slowly I start calming down and don't feel like the world is going to turn in on itself.

Klaus sits on his haunches and look up at me, concerned. I nod to him and feel myself start to blush but I stamp it down; I never expected this kind of attention from the Original Hybrid. I was always told that he was a cold hearted monster that only cared for himself and would sacrifice others without flinching. I don't see that side to him though, I see the caring man that everyone believes to be a myth. A caring man that makes me feel safe with him, like nothing could ever get to me.

Klaus reaches out and puts his hand on my knee, "The Cure that Katherine spoke of was a cure to being a vampire. There is only one dose and it has been hidden for a very long time."

I sigh and nod, knowing that I should tell him part of what I know. I need someone to trust besides myself in this town and the only other person who has shown the slightest amount of trust to me is Klaus. I like to think that in the past few days, we have been starting to get along better and hope that if I open up this part of me to him, he won't crush it later.

"I know about the Cure," I say in a quiet whisper.

Klaus' grip on my knee tightens for a moment before he releases it, "How do you know about the Cure? Who told you?" Klaus stands up and looks tall and imposing above me but I don't really care right now.

I shrug, "I have met people in my life and I am a good secret keeper, well, until I met you." My cheeks start to warm, "I know more that I should as a human, enough that could get me killed."

"Would I happen to know this person?" Klaus asks and then sits beside me on the bench.

I hesitate for a split second, "Kol told me about the Cure and had me research Silas before he died. But I swear I didn't know he had died here until I had already moved here."

Klaus' eyes are hard as ice as he stares at me and I can feel him start to lose faith in me. My hand darts out and grips his tightly, "I'm sorry he's gone but please don't let my parents die because of me."

Klaus is still for a few moments before finally answering, "If your parents died, it wouldn't be your fault; you wouldn't physically kill them. But I will help you," Klaus sighs reluctantly and squeezes my hand in reassurance. "Tell Katherine that I will leave her alone for as long as she lives on the condition that no harm comes to my or your families and that he must hold the real Cure. If it is false then our agreement is null and void immediately."

I sigh in relief as I memorize each of Klaus' words, knowing exactly how important they are. "Thank you," I whisper as I stand up.

"Give me your phone," Klaus says and I hand it over immediately. He presses some buttons before handing it back to me. "Now you have my number if you ever need to get a hold of me. And I have yours."

"Thank you again Klaus, really." I say and resist the urge to hug him.

Klaus nods, "I hope you parents are okay Bella, truly."

I stare, wide eyed at him. I can't even think of anything to say, let alone open my mouth to speak. I nod quickly and dart back to my car to head home. I start the car and glance into my rear-view mirror for a split second, long enough to see that Klaus is still watching me with an unreadable expression. I put the car in drive and head home.

As I pull into my parking spot, I try to think of a plan to attract Katherine to me. I won't be able to find her in my limited time so the only option is to draw her to me. I guess I could either run around town calling for her or just wait until she shows up expecting an answer. In the second before I turn off the car I see something flash in my peripheral. I look around me as I step out of my car and head to the front porch but can't see anything.

I turn my head back to the house and almost jump out of my skin when I see Katherine leaning against my house, completely relaxed. I pause for a few seconds to gather my bearing before heading up the steps and standing my ground.

"Katherine," I say.

She smirks and saunters over to me, "Hello Isabella, did you deliver my message?"

I nod, "Yes, I did. Are my parents okay?"

Katherine waves my question off, "They are fine, what did Klaus say?"

"Klaus said, and I quote, 'I will leave her alone for as long as she lives on the condition that no harm comes to my or your families and that he must hold the real Cure. If it is false then our agreement is null and void immediately'." I tell her directly from memory, proud that I remembered it all.

Katherine nods and gives a small sigh of relief that I'm sure I wasn't supposed to see. "Good."

I hold my hand up to stop her from leaving, "Wait, where's the Cure?"

Katherine smirks, "Right, I guess I should give this to you." She reaches behind her and takes out a small object wrapped in old cloth from her back pocket. The actual object is about the length and width of my smallest finger and I gently take it from her, scared the vial that contains the Cure might shatter from age.

The second that the Cure is in my hands, Katherine blurs off into the night and I hurry into the house. I know that almost everyone in this town is looking for the Cure and the safest place is where only one person knows where it is. Especially in a house where most vampires haven't been allowed inside, at least that I know of.

In the living room I head directly to the book shelf and grab a dusty construction book off the bottom shelf. I take it into the kitchen, grab a sharp knife from the drawer and open the book. Carefully I cut a hole into the book that is deep enough and wide enough for the Cure to fit comfortably inside. Gently I close the book and head back to the living room and place it back in its place.

Sure it may be cliché but it works.

Perfect, now there is only one person who knows where the Cure is. But two people that know the Cure was actually traded off, me and Katherine. I know that I should give the Cure to Klaus but everyone expects Klaus to have the Cure, they would never think of me. This is the safest place for the Cure and in the last place anyone will ever look.

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**AN: So because the email notification thing wasn't working I didn't get to respond to everyone's reviews and give them the sneak peaks so I apologise. But don't worry, this time anyone who reviews will get a sneak peak.**


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: Okay, so I didn't get anybody's review alerts this past week therefore I apologize about the fact that I didn't respond to any. Has anyone else been having this problem lately? I just hope everyone gets the alert that my story has been updated. I promise that the moment I get anyone's review, I will respond and give a sneak peak to the next chapter. I just didn't want you all to think I suddenly didn't care anymore. **

**Anyways, this chapter is still within American Gothic. First Elijah loses the cure, then Katherine tortures Bella and then gives her the Cure. Now it's Klaus' view of that same night and the next chapter will be Bella's thoughts of the next morning.**

**Enjoy!**

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Ch. 27

**Klaus POV**

I watch in silence as Bella jogs to her vehicle and drives back in the direction of Caroline's house. She may only be human but she has an inner strength that surprised me. She may have broken down once but she gathered herself and got back to the issue. And she's dealing with all of this on her own, in a town where most of the vampires want to compel her into forgetting everything. That says something about her character.

She has no one to support her and even my cold heart feels for her. She reminds me of a younger and human Elijah; stubborn, determined, protective, and a force to be messed with when crossed. Seeing her like that makes me miss my family, even with all our problems. We may stab each other in the back but when push came to shove, we stood together against a common cause and were stronger together.

At least Elijah and Rebekah are on their way home from Pennsylvania, part of our family will be reunited. Kol and Finn will never see our family together and not fighting though because they were killed with no real reason by Elena Gilbert and her friends. Even thinking the name makes the anger in my stomach that never dies burn and bubble.

I shake my head to dislodge my thoughts and start walking back to my large house, in need for something to drink.

I walk past the Mystic Grill and see Stefan come out and start towards me. I debate whether to pretend that I didn't see him and keep going or stop and face him. Running and hiding isn't part of my genetic code though so I stop and stand tall.

Stefan didn't go with Damon after Elena because he knows that his chance with Elena is gone and he can't bring her humanity back. I respect the fact that he faces his problems and knows when to back down when his chances are nonexistent. What I don't respect is his and his friend's constant need to push my buttons to see how much I can take. Then when I snap and kill someone, they blame it on the fact that I'm a supposed monster. Not the fact that they keep instigating everything.

Stefan stops in front of me and crosses his arms over his chest, trying to give off a scary aura. It doesn't work. "What are your feelings for Bella?"

I raise an eyebrow, "I don't really think that is any of your business mate. Especially since you tried to get me to compel her."

"Just tell me Klaus."

"Why do you want to know? It doesn't affect you in any way, unless you suddenly care for the human. What a scandal! Stefan Salvatore finally over his pathetic feelings for the doomed Elena Gilbert? Shocking." I smirk as I watch the anger build in Stefan.

"I just think it's strange how you can go from loving and obsessing over Caroline to doing the same thing with Bella Swan. How long did your feelings for Caroline last once she left?" Stefan says in a sarcastic voice. "I bet you never even had them, you are too cold-hearted to even know what real emotions are. You wouldn't even feel it if Bella died in some tragic accident. Maybe an animal attack."

I don't show it but Stefan's words strike a cord deep inside. I might not show what I feel but I am still alive and have feelings. They are just buried under layers of concrete and steel because I don't want to be hurt like I have in the past.

Stefan may not believe that my actions and feelings to Bella are true. But they are real, as real as hybrids are. And the fact that he just threatened her safety is not giving him any favors.

I charge him, grab him by the throat and shove him to the ground. I press my shoe into his chest and as he starts to squirm, I slowly grind my heel into his ribs. Stefan groans in pain but his groan becomes a shout when I lift my foot and ram it down.

I put my foot back onto solid ground and glare down at Stefan. "Bella Swan is under my protection and if she is intentionally hurt, there will be hell to pay."

Stefan glares back at me while slowly getting to his feet, "I can see why no one loves you. You are so volatile that they would be scared that if they even said one thing wrong, you would snap and hurt them. This is why your family is never around."

I blink, but make no other physical motions that would indicate I am listening. "Maybe what you really felt for Caroline was only envy because she has someone who truly loves her and you know that no one will ever love you for who you really are."

I lean forward until Stefan and I are almost nose to nose. Stefan hides the fact that he wants to back away in fear but I can see it in his eyes. "I know who I am Stefan. It is you who hides your true nature and is always the second choice."

Stefan knows I have him beat because he blurs away without another word.

I follow his idea and blur the rest of the way back to my house and once inside the mansions doors. I grab my cell phone and dial Elijah's number. He answers after the fourth ring and says in a bored tone, _"Hello, brother."_

"Elijah, why aren't you are Rebekah back yet?" I ask as I march up the stairs towards my room.

"_It seems Niklaus that Rebekah has a love of shopping and decided she needed a break from all the drama for a few hours." _

I roll my eyes, "Does that mean you are still shopping or are on your way back?"

Elijah sighs into the phone, _"It means that we are on our way back to Mystic Falls but won't probably get their until mid-afternoon tomorrow."_

"Alright brother," I say and then hang up on him. It may seem rude but he knows I care for him in my own way.

* * *

I'm almost at my house when a shadow runs across my peripheral. I stop in my spot and use all my senses to try and figure out exactly what it is. The shadow runs by again and but I couldn't get a look at his face.

"Come out and face me!" I yell into the night.

A rush of wind brushes past me before stopping right in front of me. "Stefan? What do you want now?" I ask, confused.

Stefan smiles a venomous smile, "I want the Cure Klaus, you are taking too long and are making me mad."

"Silas," I spit out. Knowing that Bella hasn't gotten the Cure yet, I stall. "I don't have the Cure, you'll have to find someone else to annoy."

Silas takes a step towards me and says slowly, "You will get me the Cure Klaus."

The words slip out, "And if I don't?"

Silas smiles and jumps over my head and stabs me in the back. I yell in pain and Silas breaks the White Oak Stake off with a splinter in my back.

"There's a reminder for you, have a good night Klaus." Silas says in my ear before running away.

I groan in pain and blur the rest of the way to my house.


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: I apologize for the long wait, my life has been hectic but I won't bore you with excuses. All I can say is I hope you enjoy this chapter and please remember to review.**

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Ch.28

Liz comes home from her shift at the station only twenty minutes after I stashed the Cure inside of that book. My eyes kept drooping closed as I was stumbling around the house trying to get ready for bed. I was just about to say 'screw it' and sleep in my jeans when Liz came in the house.

I yawn and wave a greeting to her as she hangs up her belt and jacket on the coat rack. I start to head towards my room when Liz's voice stops me.

"Bella, I know you're not my daughter but I want to protect you all the same. You're a good kid and you shouldn't be hanging out with Klaus, he could hurt you."

I turn around and give a little incredulous laugh at that. "Klaus has been much nicer to me than Elena or Stefan, and they are the supposed 'nice' people of this town."

"He has done bad things to the people in this town Bella." Liz continues.

I wait for anything more but she is silent, "And? Lot's of humans also do bad things in this town, it's not just Klaus. You can't blame all your problems on a single person."

Liz shakes her head, "I'm just saying that you shouldn't be friends with him."

"What? And be friends with Elena Gilbert? The person who broke my fingers and drank my blood? Yeah, that's not gonna happen anytime soon. Klaus is the only person in this town that hasn't done anything to show me he has bad intentions towards me, besides you." I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest.

"If you were here a few weeks ago, you would understand how dangerous he is," Liz continues to plead. Sensing a chance to figure out what has happened in these last few weeks, I dive in.

"Why don't you tell me then? And remember that I know more about this town than most in-the-know humans." I probe and Liz sighs in defeat.

"After Kol died, Jeremy Gilbert developed all of his tattoos at once and by using a very old sword, Elena, Stefan, Damon, and Bonnie were able to find the location of the Cure." Liz sits on the couch behind her and continues to tell me what Kol and Elijah hadn't known.

She tells me about the time period while the gang was on the island searching for the Cure and how they were being hunted by the locals. During this time, Klaus was locked in the Gilbert's living room and, in anger, bit Caroline. I knew that Klaus was a little obsessed with Caroline from Kol and Elijah but the fact that he still bit her and let her to slowly deteriorate upsets me. Sure, I know Klaus must have saved her in order for her to have gone to Forks but that animal ferocity surprised me.

After the gang lost the Cure to Katherine and came back home with Jeremy's dead body, Bonnie began to complete the triangle. In order for her to complete the triangle she had to kill twelve witches but Caroline, Klaus and Stefan caught on to the plan. Caroline and Klaus were watching the witches try to sae Bonnie from Silas' control when Caroline snapped and killed all twelve witches. Caroline was so guilt filled that she decided to take the exchange immediately just to get away.

It is quiet for a few moments after Liz is finished while my mind makes connections. I figured that something similar to this had happened so not all of it is a shock. What hurt the most is the fact that I'm not the first person that has caught Klaus' interest. I knew he followed Caroline around before from what Elijah and Kol told me but I thought it was for some angle. To get inside her friend's heads to know their plans in order for him to have a better counter plan. The thought of being second best stings because I know that I will never be the person Caroline was; blonde, peppy, cheerleader, and most importantly, a vampire. But maybe Klaus never had actual feelings for Caroline and what he feels for me is true. That would be the perfect reality but is most likely untrue. Or maybe I'm just dreaming up what I'm seeing and mistaking it for the truth when in reality, Klaus is just being friendly.

In the silence, I focus on what I plan to do next. I will confront Klaus about his feelings about Caroline and get that out of the way immediately instead of tiptoeing around the situation. I'm sure Klaus believes that Katherine won't give me the Cure for a few more days so I'll just not mention that I have it until I believe that the Cure is not going to be misused. This way I can focus on what needs to happen next, mostly Silas' plan and how to stay off the gang's radar.

"So, if Silas has his triangle then what is he waiting for before he destroys the Other Side?"

"He's waiting for what everyone else is fighting for, the Cure. Yesterday Damon, Elena, Rebekah went after and found Katherine in a small town in Pennsylvania. She was going to give the Cure to Elijah who she had been stringing along but then took off with it and everyone is waiting for her to come back. And they know she will come back if she wants her freedom." Liz finishes and suddenly I'm exhausted. All the events of today have caught up with me and I can't focus on anything else.

I think Liz can tell that I'm nodding off because she stands up, grabs some envelops from the side table and hands them to me. "Here, these can in today."

I look down at them and my eyes widen when I see who they are from. I tear into the thick envelope from the University of Columbia and quickly scan the first line. I gasp in shock and grip the letter tighter to read it closer. It reads: _Congratulations, Isabella Swan! You have been accepted to the University of Columbia._

I look up at Liz in astonishment. I hoped and dreamed of being accepted to either Columbia or Louisiana but I thought that I wasn't going to be because of how late the letter arrived. I have already been accepted to Washington State University so that was my back up plan.

"Well," Liz prods and practically vibrates in her chair.

"I got accepted," I say in a daze before repeating it excitedly, "I got accepted!"

Liz smiles, "I'm so happy for your Bella. I guess that was a good way to end the night," She says as she walks out of the living room to her bedroom.

I look down at the unopened letter from Louisiana State University and my stomach twists itself into knots in anticipation.

I quickly tear open the envelope and force myself to read the first sentence. It also reads: _Congratulations! You have been accepted to attend Louisiana State University. _A relieved giggle escapes my throat and I gather my letters and jog to my bedroom.

I spend the next twenty minutes pouring over the letters before I finally have to put them down or I will pass out from exhaustion. Now I just have to choose where I want to go.

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**AN: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I can't believe that this story has reached over 400 reviews, this is amazing. I never believed that it would be this popular. I hope you liked the chapter and remember to review and I'll give you a sneak peak of the next chapter!**


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